Eyes of the Cat
by TigerTerror
Summary: Everyone knows that cats can see ghosts. Why should Kyo be any different? Rated for supernatural references.
1. Sightings

A/N: For some reason, the time Kyo questions Hanajima about being able to see ghosts got me thinking. After all, everyone _knows_ that cats in tune with the occult, and despite his displeasure at it, Kyo is- at least partly- a cat…

Review if you like it, and I'll consider continuing. Though, truth be told, I'm not really sure what will happen next... ;;

Disclaimer: TT owns Eris and the plot, nothing else… Although she'd be quite happy to claim them for herself- anyone know where she can buy the copyrights to Fruit Baskets?

* * *

The street was empty now, too late for even the gangs to be out it would seem. An empty can was tossed and kicked about in the gutter by the wind, the clanging sound echoing. 

A girl followed the drink can's path along the street, her footsteps silent as a shadow. Her pale hands were shoved deep into her black wooly jacket, her brown hair tied back into a simple ponytail. Eris stopped under a streetlamp, staring at the empty street though hazel eyes. She looked up at the streetlight above her as it flickered, and then died.

Sighing silently, Eris stepped off the curb and into the street. Tires squealed, and a car's headlights suddenly lit up the street. She stood still, watching as the car sped toward her.

Her body shimmered slightly as the car drove straight through her, and the ghost turned her head to watch it drive away, oblivious that she existed. Her body twisted for a moment, like a wisp of smoke or fog, and then she continued to walk on, utterly alone.

* * *

It was very early that Kyo found himself wandering the streets the next morning. Why? Because Shigure- being the stupid, perverted canine that he was, in Kyo's words- had forgotten to renew his newspaper subscription. And so the paper wasn't being delivered, and heaven forbid that they went without it, even for one day! Tohru had only just been waking up, and Yuki- that damned rat- wouldn't be up for a few more hours left. So that left him, Kyo, to go and collected the beloved paper for Shigure to chew to pieces when he was bored. After all, what else would a dog do with the paper? 

Grumbling to himself, Kyo finally had the paper and made his way home. He was aware he was being followed, but dismissed it. For about five minutes. He then spun around to glare at the girl, while at the same time checking her off the list of girls from school who seemed to have crushes on him, surprised when he couldn't find her on it. "What the hell do you think your doing! Stop following me!"

For her part, the girl looked surprised, her mouth forming an 'o' shape, no sound coming out. There was a stammer in her quiet voice, "Y-you can see me?"

Kyo stared at her as if her head had suddenly rolled onto the ground, "What kind of a question is that? Of course I can see you! Why the hell wouldn't I!"

"Well, no one else does." Her voice was flat, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She held her arms out on either side as she walked towards him, balancing on the edge of the drain. "No one else has for… I don't know how long. It's lonely."

Kyo just stared at her as if she were an idiot… Until she her arm brushed _through_ the post-box near the edge of the road. "What a second… You're-"

"-Dead. A ghost, restless spirit, phantom, specter, poltergeist, apparition, whatever you want to call me." She looked up from where she was walking, staring at him curiously, "No one else in the city can see me, not even that girl that reads those weird waves. No ones ever been able to see me- except cats of course- everyone knows cats can see ghosts."

Kyo didn't say anything to this, but his glare increased a few notches.

The ghost smiled, holding out a hand, "My name's Eris! Don't know what my surname is, though, I can't remember. What's your name?"

Kyo made no move to take the hand, turning away to walk home. She followed him, walking on the road beside him, so he stopped again, "Can't you go away!"

"I will- if you tell me your name."

The orange-haired cat muttered a few choice insults under his breath, before raising his voice to be heard again. "Kyo- my name is Kyo Sohma."

He hadn't known it was possible to grin as much as Eris did in that moment, "Well, Kyo-kun, it was nice to meet you. See you later!"

And with that, she was gone.

Kyo stared back at where she had been for a moment, before snorting, turning away to, at last, go home and eat. Under his breathe, he mumbled, "Ghosts, they're almost as bad as that baka nezumi."

* * *

"Oh, Kyo!" Tohru beamed as the cat entered the house, "I was wondering what was taking you so long." 

"Ah, Kyo, you shouldn't worry our flower so much-" anything else Shigure was going to say was cut off with a newpaper slamming into his face.

Grumbling to himself, Kyo flopped down at the table, helping himself to breakfast. Why did he get the feeling the day wasn't going to get any better?

Elsewhere, a girl with brown hair, dressed in a black jacket sat alone on the edge of a highway, humming. There was a bouquet of fake flowers, long bleached by the sun, attached to the road guard she sat on, swinging her feet beneath her as she watched the cars speed past, their slipstreams causing her appearance to waver.


	2. Friends?

Hey all, TT here. And I really have to say- I was surprised to discover that anyone reviewed at all- THANK YOU! It makes me happy when people enjoy my stories.

Two people mentioned that, apparently, dogs are supposed to be able to see ghosts too. To be blunt, I've never heard of that, only cats. So if its all right with everyone, I'm going to stick with only Kyo, as the cat, being able to see ghosts in general circumstances. 'Sides, it makes a better plot- or will if I get one.

So here's another chapter. I'll do my best to update at regular intervals, but I'm afriad I can't make any promises. Read and Review, please- thanks all!

* * *

Kyo didn't see the ghost-girl again for several days, and was relieved to think his life might stay as normal as the cat of the zodiac's life could get. The last thing he wanted was for Tohru to believe he'd finally snapped because he kept yelling at someone they couldn't see to leave him alone. She'd blame herself somehow, he knew it.

Then the damned spook turned up again.

The day had started out badly- raining- and showed no sign of getting better. Within the first hour of getting up, Kyo had not only been forced to endure the smell of leeks, that Tohru was evidently making for Shigure's lunch, but had also been kicked through a wall by Yuki when he had complained. This, of course, had resulted in a fight that he had lost- badly, and had meant he had to go to school with a band-aid on his cheek- curtsy of Tohru- where a piece of wood had scratched him.

_Then_ he had been forced to endure that stupid yankee's mocking about in 'injury', and finally had been given a detention for yelling at her in the middle of class.

By morning break, Kyo had had enough- he was going home. And not even the fact that Tohru would worry was going to stop him!

Though, he was forced to push the guilt of that last mental declaration to the back of his mind, before finally leaving the school.

That was when he saw her again- She'd been sitting on a low brick wall, sheltered from the rain by tree branches, vainly attempting to scratch the ear of a tortoiseshell cat that was purring and rubbings itself against the ghost, or at least trying to. The cat looked up first, letting out a 'meow!' and jumping over to Kyo, climbing up his pant leg to sit on his shoulder, oblivious to his glare.

Eris came to sit in front of him, hovering in midair with her legs crossed. She beamed at him, as if they were _friends_ or something similar, "Kyo-kun! What are you doing out in the rain? Have you met Kit-Kat before?"

"Kit-Kat? What kind of a name is _Kit-Kat_!"

"Hers- see, it says so on her collar." Eris pointed to the silver tag hanging beside the cat's bell. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Kyo glared, trying to refrain from yelling- that would cause too much attention. His glare's effect was lessened by the fact the cat chose that moment to rub her head against his chin.

"Aww! She _likes _you!" Kyo's hands, long since drawn into tight fists, twitched with the urge to punch Eris.

"I don't _want_ her to _like_ me!"

"Why not? She's really sweet, and very affectionate. She belongs to this little girl- I think her name was Rosie or something- a couple of streets away, but she comes over here because she thinks she can get treats from that butcher nearby. At least, that's my theory on why I see her here every couple of days." She reached over to 'pat' the cat again, her hand brushing through Kyo's chin in the process.

Eris was cold- not like ice which was a immobile, cold burning- it was more of a frosty movement in the air, it felt like an icy, winter wind that got into every nock and cranny, every tiny gap, and chilled you to the bone, no matter how many layers of clothes you were wearing. She made Kyo's blood freeze and his skin come up in goosebumps, making him shiver all the way down his spine.

The ghost, however, didn't notice, content with the purring of the tortoiseshell. "You know, Kyo-kun, you really shouldn't skip class, even if you don't like it. There's really very little you can do with your life if you don't have a good education."

Kyo hissed at her, taking a step back to glare, "I don't need some stupid _dead_ person telling me how to run my _life_!" He snarled. . The few people that were on the street stared at him, before quickly looking away. Kyo huffed, before storming away, almost oblivious to the cat still on his shoulder.

For several moments, Eris simply stood there in the rain, watching him go, expression downcast, before- expression changing to a more determined one- began to silently follow him like an unseen shadow.

* * *

"Kyo! What are you doing home at this time of the day? Shouldn't you be at school- who will protect our flower from Yuki's desires if you're not there to watch out for her!" The writer placed a hand on his chest in dramatic worry from the doorway into the kitchen, where Kyo was drinking milk from the carton.

The orange haired teen threw his bag at Shigure's face, screaming about him being a 'hentai inu' and to shut up. He then stormed up the stairs, retreating to the safety and, more importantly, solitude of his room- not being able to sit on the roof when it was raining. A tortoiseshell cat continued to cling desperately to his shoulder, and yet managed to continue purring happily and rub her head against his chin at the same time.

Shigure groaned, rubbing his head, before wandering deeper into the kitchen with the intention of getting an ice pack. A sudden chill that gave him goosebumps made him stop, and walk towards the front door, talking to himself about how he would like his doors to stay standing for more than a few days…

…Only to find the door closed, and in one piece. Shigure scratched his head in confusion, tilting his head in a dog-like fashion- he could've sworn there had been a draft- a really cold one- but it seemed it had only been his imagination…


	3. Memories

TT: Hey everybody! I'm **sooo **sorry I haven't updated- being in college means I have a lot of work in a short period of time, and because I've been sick I've been sleeping instead of writing. But I'm getting better, and to make up for not updating I bring you a chapter! Everyone enjoy

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will. Please review.

**Chapter 3**

With a sigh, Kyo collapsed on his bed. It was still raining, and the only thing he wanted to do was to a leaf out of the book of the cat curled up on his stomach- sleep. Intent to do just that until the entire day proved to just be a bad dream, he closed his eyes.

"Kyo?" The cat's eyes shot open, to find Eris looking down at him from upside-down. Yelping in shock, he sat up, moving through the ghost in the process. Kit-Kat, upset that her nap had been interrupted, went to sit on the window-ledge, insisting to be let out.

Kyo ignored the feline for the moment, scrambling to his feet and glaring at the specter. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I wanted to say I'm sorry, for before." Eris looked at the ground. "I didn't _mean_ to upset you, really… Friends?"

"Yeah, whatever." Kyo was only half-listening, instead turning to the window to let the tortoiseshell cat out, frowning slightly when he spotted Yuki and Tohru walking towards the house together. He must've slept longer than he thought.

"Who are they?" He didn't have to turn around to know it was Eris who'd spoken.

"She's Tohru Honda, and he's Yuki Sohma- I hate him."

"Sohma? Are you related?"

Kyo gritted his teeth, "Cousins." He spat out the word as if it left the taste of leeks in his mouth.

"You really don't like him, do you." It wasn't a question. There was a pause, "They seem pretty close."

Kyo hissed at the ghost, "Shut up."

"Sorry… Hey, Kyo?"

"What!"

"How long have you been able to see ghosts?"

Before the cat could answer, however, there was a series of sharp knocks on the door, "Kyooo! Who are you talking you? I heard you- do you have a _girl_ in there! Shame on you, what would Tohru think!"

Cursing under his breath, Kyo gave Eris a shove towards the closet, speaking lowly, "Hide!"

"But, Kyo-"

"Just do it." Obediently, Eris slipped into the half-open closet, hiding in the closed off part.

Just then, Shigure opened the door, bursting through. There was a singsong note in his voice, "Where are they?"

"What do you think your doing, you stupid dog? Get out!"

Shigure glanced around the room, before checking behind the door, "Now now, Kyo, I know I heard you talking to someone."

"I wasn't talking to anyone!" Kyo glared as Shigure carefully and quickly searched his room. His throat tightened, despite himself, when the dog finally came to the closet.

"Hmm…" First Shigure checked the open half, and then shifted the sliding door to the side.

Eris stood silent, in plain view, and Kyo braced himself for the inevitable, perverted cry.

"Hmm, No one here, either." Shigure straightened from his search in the closet. "Really, Kyo- have you started talking to yourself?"

For a moment, Kyo stared at his cousin, before snapping into focus, "What? I _told_ you- I wasn't talking to anyone you stupid dog- you're hearing things! Get out!"

"Alright, alright." With a dramatic sigh, Shigure left the room, closing the door again.

"And quit listening through my door!" There was an 'eep!', before footsteps left the area.

Kyo waited a few more moments, before turning to Eris, "He didn't see you."

She smiled, "You forgot I'm a ghost, didn't you. There are only two things other than you that can see spirits- cats, and powerful psychics. Still not sure why you can, though- you don't act like a psychic"

"Shut up! You realize that stupid dog thinks I'm talking to myself because of you- right?"

"Why do you call him a dog, anyway? Seems like a strange insult to me… Maybe I've been wandering around in a funk- I'm not keeping up with the times anymore. I'm getting _old_!"

A vein in Kyo's forehead twitched, "Shut up!"

For a moment, Eris looked surprised, then she looked at the floor, a cowed expression on her face, "Sorry Kyo- I'm not used to anyone being able to hear me. Apart from cats- but they don't care what you say because they never listen… So, how long?"

"How long what?"

"Have you been able to see ghosts?"

Kyo was silent for a moment, lost in a memory, "For as long as I can remember…"

**FlashBack**

"_-Poor woman, giving birth to the cat"._

"_-Having to know that its **her** monster! I don't blame her."_

_A young Kyo stared at his mother's grave, tears running down his cheeks, as the grown-ups talked around him, as if he wasn't there. He wasn't a monster! He wasn't! Mummy loved him- she said he did, even if she never looked him in the eye when she said it…_

_Suddenly, there was an elderly man, whose wrinkled face, white hair and out-of-date clothing made him look like a wizard from a storybook. The fact he was hovering perhaps two inches of the ground only added to the appearance._

_The old man shook his head, looking at the adults around them, "Disgraceful, talking like that." He rose his voice suddenly- "HE'S JUST A LITTLE BOY!"_

_His head then spun back, looking surprised that Kyo had jumped. The child looked back at the man, teary-eyed._

_The man's eyes softened, "Don't you listen to them, boy. I don't know what your mother's reasons were- she didn't speak before she completely disappeared- but I'm sure she loved you."_

_And with those words, the man walked through the grave in front of them, and deeper into the cemetery. Leaving Kyo to cling desperately to the comforting words of the unnamed man, the rest of the Sohma family oblivious around him._

_It was only many years later that he finally put the pieces to together, and worked out that the man who had comforted him that day- the man no one else had seen- was a ghost from many years past._

**End FlashBack**

"Kyo? Kyooo!" Eris waved a hand in front of the face of the orange-haired boy. "Don't zone out on me, Kyo- you make weird faces when you do."

"I do not!"


	4. Pranks

**Chapter 4**

TT: Hey everyone, I'm back. Aren't you happy to see me?

Everyone else: **_NO!_**

TT: Gee, I feel so loved. ¬¬;; Anyway- first of all, I want to thank the reviewers- I love you all. And a special thanks to Audley, for the advice on Kyo's temperament- I'm not perfect, I do get characters wrong, and I've only seen the manga so there's a greater chance of that happening. Therefore, any advice is appreciated. (And no, I haven't heard of the Mediator series- I'll make a note to look for it at the library!)

And while I'm at it- I don't _want_ Eris to be a Mary-Sue, so if she ever seems that way, please feel free to tell me and give me advice on how to fix it!

Finally, I myself have never seen a ghost- currently I'm at a stage in my spiritual life where I'm question my personal beliefs as well as ideas of whether ghosts exist at all- and none of the theories I put in this story are true, they're simply made up, so please don't think otherwise.

Thank you for the reviews so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please send me any comments or advice, be they good or bad- as well as ideas, and I do try to take my reader's suggestions into account.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot and one of the characters. That is Eris, but I don't think she exists. Which is probably just as well, because if I could suddenly start seeing my characters, I'd have a lot to answer for to them.

* * *

Half an hour later found Kyo sitting in his room; doing the homework Tohru had been thoughtful enough to bring him. Hovering a head-height, lying on her stomach, head in her hands with her feet swinging idly above her was Eris, watching silently over his shoulder. It was a rare moment of calm, in which the rat was outside in his garden, Tohru was cooking and Shigure… Well, Shigure wasn't bothering anyone, which was enough for the remaining members of the household. 

"You forgot to convert it to Moles."

Kyo glared at the ghost behind him, "What?"

Eris reached out an arm to point at the question he was doing, "Moles- the measuring unit for atoms and molecules, remember? You won't the right answer for the concentration of the solution unless you change it from Litres to Moles."

"You know chemistry?"

"Oh yeah! It took me weeks to get my head around this stuff- I never was good at maths- but I got there in the end. Or, at least, I usually managed to get the right answer in the end- even if it did take me three tries. Still no good at maths, though."

"What difference does it make it I get these stupid 'moles' or not!"

"Oh, heaps! Because from Moles you can convert it into any other unit you need. Its used all the time in Chemistry. You going to be learning about acids next? You'll need it to work out the pH." She pointed to the page again, "Just times the number you've got there by the formula at the top of your page."

Kyo did so, before smirking, "Heh, so you have some use after all." Behind his back, Eris let out a bright grin, and there was silence again.

There was suddenly a knock of his door, and it opened enough for Tohru to stick her head through. She smiled as the orange-haired boy looked over to her. "Dinner's ready- and don't worry, I made sure there were no leeks."

Kyo nodded his head and stood up, following Tohru down the stairs. Just as they were reaching the kitchen, Eris suddenly appeared next to him, sinking through the ceiling and making Kyo jump.

Tohru glanced back at him, "Are you alright, Kyo?"

"Yeah, fine." He glared at Eris out of the corner of her eye, who tried to look innocent- her wide grin causing the expression to fail.

Kyo and Tohru were the last two at the table- a fact that instantly caused a teasing remark from Shigure. The cat twitched, but ignored him, focusing on his meal. He watched idly as Eris prowled around the table, occasionally giving someone rabbit ears or doing something equally silly, causing Kyo to choke on his food when he was suddenly forced to chuckle.

The fourth time this happened, Yuki evidently got sick of Kyo stealing all of Tohru's attention, because when the girl enquired if Kyo was alright, the rat spoke up first.

"He's fine- the cat's just so dim-witted he keeps forgetting to chew before he swallows."

Kyo growled, and was about to jump to his feet and beat the pulp out of the damned rat when he say the pleading look Tohru was giving the both of them. Still hissing internally, Kyo remained seated, seething inside.

Then the saltshaker fell over on it's own, the top coming off and pouring sand all over Yuki's plate. At least, that's how it looked to everyone but Kyo.

Kyo had watched, silent and curious as Eris had moved towards Yuki, hovering over the table and reaching down to slowly unscrew the lid of the saltshaker. It seemed to be a difficult process, as whenever her focus slipped the slightest her hand would slip threw it and she would have to get her grip on it again. She'd been at it for 10 minutes before Kyo had choked again- he'd imagined the expression that would cross someone's face when they tried to use it.

Then Yuki had made his comment. Eris had glanced over at him and, seeing how angry he appeared, had scowled at the rat before poking the shaker over with a finger.

It suddenly occurred to Kyo that having a ghost on his side could have its advantages. As Tohru helped Yuki try and clean the salt up, the cat used the opportunity to shoot a smirk in Eris's direction, who gave him a sly grin in return

* * *

"I thought ghosts couldn't touch anything in this world." 

"Well, yes and no. Keep in mind; I'm guessing a lot here- I didn't exactly go to a night class on how to be a ghost, and how it works. But from what I've been able to work out, we can touch things, but only if we focus _really_ hard, like, harder than anyone alive can. And we can do things like move them, a little, but for that I think I need someone else- someone alive, to acknowledge I exist, otherwise I don't exist enough to interact with anything. Its why I can pet cats- they know I'm there, they know I'm real, the fact I'm dead doesn't change it because they know I'm there."

Kyo was silent, lying back on the roof and staring up at the stars, as he got his head around this. "So you could do that to Yuki, because _I_ know you're here, but couldn't if I didn't?"

"That's my theory, because I can't do anything if I'm not around psychics or cats- or you. Still don't know why you can see me."

Kyo snorted. There was silence for a few minutes, the blissful kind of silence that, Kyo knew, was made up of a thousand tiny noises that humans didn't bother listening to. It was the kind of silence that told cats that it was their turn to rule. Finally, he spoke, turning his head to look at the girl next to him, "So, why did you do that to Yuki."

Eris looked surprised, hazel eyes widening for a moment before turning to normal, and she looked at the roof below them. "Well, why not? You seemed really upset and what he said, and I wasn't going to let him get away with doing that- you're my friend."

Kyo stared at her, stunned at the statement. "Friend?"

Eris nodded enthusiastically, "You're a bit grumpy, maybe, but your nice- really- and I like hanging around with you. I'm _your_ friend Kyo, even if you're not mine yet. And friends stick out for each other, right?"

Kyo was silent for a moment longer, then, "You're going to be hanging around, no matter what I do or say, aren't you?"

"…Well, it beats being alone. And having someone to talk to, and talk back, seems like a good way to keep myself from going insane." She gave Kyo the sort of smile that could only be classified as 'silly', and tilted her head. It took her brown hair a few moments to move in response, as if it only just remembered that little thing called gravity.

The orange-haired boy rolled his eyes, staring up at the stars again, "Just what I need- some ghost hanging around." A pause, "Can you pull more stunts like that on Yuki?"


	5. Discoveries

**Chapter 5**

TT: Hello everyone- I'm really glad you like my story. And thank you for all the suggestions- they're all great ideas, have no doubt that I'll consider them in great detail.

As it happens, all your ideas gave me some (or maybe just one…) of my own, so now there's a new chapter for you all to read- I hope you enjoy it!

As for the nickname Eris gives Kyo- you go ahead and guess where she got it from. I'll tell you if your right next chapter.

Please review, and I welcome any suggestions or advice you might have- no matter how silly or small it may seem. I want to write the best possible story for you all, so feedback is important!

Disclaimer: I have 65 cents- can I buy Fruit Baskets with that?

* * *

For some time, Kyo was successful in keeping his secrets from Eris- she'd hang out with him late at night on the roof, disappear when h went to be, reappear about halfway through breakfast, then follow him around for the majority of the day, occasionally making comments or causing mischief. Sometimes, when she went through him and the feeling of cold made him completely numb, she seemed… thicker, than the air around her- as if she could _almost_ touch him, but never quite get there.

At home, she wandered around, shifting thing either in or out of sight depending on her mood and who was looking for the item in question. She'd sit on the punching bag he attacked when he was training at the dojo, cheering him on. Creative replies to Yuki's insults were supplied whenever needed- she had a surprisingly fast tongue at times. When he and Yuki fought, Eris was completely silent, as if knowing he needed all the focus he could get. But the moment the fight was over, she was hovering over him, asking how many fingers she was holding up or something similar. In school, she'd hover at his shoulder, giving him advice in chemistry, and occasionally running icy fingers down Yuki's spine, with much persuasion from Kyo.

This went on for about a week, and Kyo grew used to her presence, as did the others, though unknowingly- Tohru, for example, had taken to wearing a long-sleeved jumper more often than not.

Reflecting back, Kyo realized that it really would've only been so long before she would've found out.

* * *

Kyo had gotten roped into helping Tohru cook that evening- being the only other one in the else who could without setting the entire kitchen alit. Eris had been sitting on the bench, watching as Kyo helped the other brunette, occasionally calling out a piece of advice to the girl that couldn't here it.

"No! Don't mix in the stock yet! You have to let the meat cook first, then you mix it when it simmers, otherwise it'll go all clumpy when the water starts to evaporate." Eris groaned when Tohru put it in anyhow, and floated over to where Kyo was chopping the vegetables- Tohru had already cut her finger once that evening while doing so. "Kyo, tell her!"

The orange-haired teen shook his head silently, focusing on the vegetables in front of him. At least there weren't any leeks, thank goodness for small miracles.

"Yuki's come in." Kyo's shoulder tensed ever-so-slightly at Eris' warning, and the next moment Yuki appeared beside him- Kyo is cousin had wanted him to jump and yell at him for popping up out of nowhere.

"Your going to slow- your keeping Tohru waiting."

Kyo scowled, "This is coming from the one who can't cook?"

"Your chopping vegetables, a toddler could do that."

Kyo opened his mouth to snap, but Eris whispered a better reply in his ear, "Well, why don't you do them, then? You have the intellect of a toddler."

Yuki scowled, but then took the knife, muttering about how all cats were lazy fleabags, before bringing the blade down on a carrot.

Or, he would have- except that he missed. Yuki's brows furrowed, and lined up the carrot again, holding it in one hand, before taking another attempt.

He missed again. Behind him, Kyo smirked as Eris, once again, shifted the carrot ever-so slightly, the blade moving harmlessly through her hand instead. Confused and flustered, because he knew Tohru was also watching, tried once more, and failed to cut the vegetable.

Kyo snorted with amusement, "I thought you said a toddler could do it." He smirked as Eris, once again, shifted the carrot ever-so slightly, the blade moving harmlessly through her hand instead.

Annoyed, Yuki spun around and punched Kyo in the chest. It didn't have its usual force behind it, but there was still enough to make the cat stumble-

-Right into Tohru, who was standing beside him.

It seemed that time stood still for a single moment, before the burst of smoke can, and Kyo was gone. From the pile of clothes, a half-grown orange tomcat forced his head and shoulders up, bearing an expression of extreme annoyance. In Kyo's voice, it muttered "Damn rat!" before looking up.

Into the hazel eyes of Eris, who was crouched on the floor, staring with her mouth open in shock. Her lips moved- no sound came out- but the cat could read her lips well enough, '_Kyo?_'

For a moment, the cat was silent, staring back; before- with a half-hearted swipe at Yuki's ankles- he dashed upstairs into his room, leaving Eris downstairs in a shocked stupor.

Kyo deliberately avoided going to the roof that night.

* * *

That had been three days ago now- three days and counting. It suddenly seemed emptier in his room- Eris may have been dead, but she made up for it by radiating her personality until it was more tangible than her. He began to slip in chemistry again, and had a harder time getting his head around Moles. Mealtimes seemed just a little duller. There was suddenly a need for something more than just the stars on the roof.

Eris may have befriended Kyo because there was no one else to keep the loneliness at bay, but she'd found a worthy friend in him, and Kyo had found one in her. And now she was… gone. She'd found out his secret, and now she thought he was a monster! Why else would she leave?

Kyo ignored the little voice in his head that kept reminding him that _he_ was the one who'd gone and hid.

Kyo was wandering the streets aimlessly. He'd skipped school that day- it wasn't quite so entertaining now. He'd found a best friend in someone who was _dead_, no matter how incompatible their two personalities had seemed from time to time, and now it was as if she'd just died.

A cat-bell suddenly jingled, and a tortoiseshell leapt onto his shoulder. He turned to look at her- the cat tag read 'Kit-Kat'.

"You know, you shouldn't miss school, no matter how much you don't like it. There's really very little you can do with your life if you don't get a good education."

Kyo froze, and looked up. Eris looked hesitant, staring down at her off-white and purple sneakers, which were hovering just off the ground.

Kyo managed to speak first. He explained all of it, the curse, being the cat, his own personal curse- all of it. He was not quite sure why he did so before she asked, other than it seemed like the right thing to do. "So, now you know why I can see you." Eris nodded, "You think I'm a monster, you hate me- just like everyone else." It wasn't a question.

Eris's head shot up so fast that it was a mere blur, and then she was right in his face, eyes wide with sincerity, "No! I couldn't hate you- you're the best friend I can remember having! And I don't think you're a monster- _I couldn't_! Heck, I'm a ghost! I'm more of a monster than you'll ever be- everyone knows that about ghosts, we're just a few steps better than the other undead at most!"

Red eyes blinked as Kyo tried to decipher the sudden, impossibly fast speech. Apparently there were advantages to not having to stop to breathe. Finally, Kyo said the only thing he felt he could, "…But you disappeared."

"You ran off- I thought you didn't want to see me again, or that you wanted some time to yourself, or… something like that." She waited as this turned over in his mind, then spoke in a much smaller voice, "Are we still friends?"

For a moment, Kyo only looked at her, and Eris feared the worst. Then, rolling his eyes, Kyo scratched Kit-Kat behind the ear, making her purr, "Yeah, still friends- it's boring without you to team up on Yuki with me."

Eris's face slowly broke into the bright, wide grin that Kyo had grown familiar with. She nudged him in the shoulder- it made the entire area seem 10 degrees colder, but for once Kyo didn't mind. "I'm glad, NeKyo, because the afterlife's been really _boring_ since I left!"

Kyo gaped, and then scowled slightly, "_What_ did you just call me!"

A middle-aged woman, walking on the other side of the street, gave Kyo a disturbed look, before hurrying along at a faster pace, but Kyo didn't care. And, as she disappeared around the corner, the woman could have sworn that, in the corner of her eye, there were two teenagers instead of one...


	6. Invisible

**Chapter 6**

TT: Alright people, new chapter! Aren't you all happy? I hope so, because I think I'm going to fail that english speech I have tomorrow- I'm not allowed to do it on fanfiction after all.

Eris: Its your own fault, if you'd read to question right the first time you wouldn't have to rewrite your speech.

TT: Ah! clings to ceiling Where'd you come from!

Eris: Your imagination. I decided that I didn't like it there- your crazy assasin was asking me what it was like to die, and trying to work out how you kill a dead person.

TT: ;; Don't say things like that online, you'll scare away my reviewers!

Eris: Oh, alright. I'm going to see if you have any biscuits! disappears through wall

TT: sweatdrop right... Anyway, I'd like to first like to explain to Kouseki Yume, that being Eris is _not_ coming back to life- quite frankly the thought of that sort of thing being possible kinda scares me- she's simply becoming stronger because of Kyo's presence. Just as well she'd a good guy, eh?

Secondly, I'd like us all to give Chipmunk of 'Kitten Chipmunk and Squirrel' a clap, because she's the only one who managed to guess where I developed Kyo's new nickname from- Neko, the japanese word for cat, and Kyo's own name.

I think that's it. I'll do my best to update again soon. PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU LIKE MY STORY, ALL FEEDBACK IS LOVED.

* * *

A gibbous moon peered through the window, illuminating the face of a teen and highlighting his orange hair. His face scrunched up with the light, and rolled over so that his back faced the watching moon. 

There was suddenly a breathy sound, like a content sigh, but was probably the wind, because it was too high to be the boy, and there was no one else in the room.

A shadow crossed the floor, from the window towards the door. Humans had dispelled the enchantment that the moon and its light had brought with science and how the moon only reflected the light of the sun, but sometimes something mystic was true in those old legends in tales, something that remained.

You couldn't see ghosts on moonlit nights, like some stories said, but sometimes, just sometimes, you were given a clue…

* * *

In the hall, a thermometer that was hanging off the wall suddenly dropped to minus 5 degrees C, before quickly rising back up to its previous temperature, almost as if the change had been some kind of error in the mercury. Eris had a habit of running her fingers across the wall when she walked, willing herself to touch the object instead of go through it, subconsciously crying out for the world to recognize- even in the slightest sense- that she was there at all. 

She did this every few nights, when Kyo went to sleep- sometimes she'd go out and haunt the streets or that old spot on the highway of hers, but these days, she also wandered the house. In previous homes, she'd learnt you could learn quite a lot about the occupants when looking at what they had lying in their secret-most places.

For example, on her very first night in Kyo's house, she learnt to never ever, under any circumstances, _ever_ read the open word documents on Shigure's computer.

Shuddering slightly at the memory, Eris wandered down the hall, paused at a door, and glided through it. Even if she _had_ had the power to open the door, she'd forgotten how.

* * *

Eris glanced at the large bed, there was a girl sleeping on the center, half curled around herself, her even breathing the only sound in the room. Tohru's room. 

Turning away from the bed, Eris glanced at the walls- no posters of any kind, how boring.

Something on the dresser caught her eye. She hovered forward to look at it- a photograph in a frame. A woman, with the same coloured hair was Kyo? Eris strained her memory of what Kyo had told her about Tohru.

She turned to the bed again, "Is this your mother, Tohru?" The living girl didn't answer, but Eris continued on despite that, "She must be very important to you- look how she takes the most prominent place on your dresser. And there's hardly anything else on here too, just her really…"

Suddenly distracted, Eris continued her examination of the treasure's Tohru kept around her room. It didn't occur to her that this was a breach of privacy, not only would no one had cared when they'd gone through her stuff when _she_ died.

* * *

Eris prowled. She didn't need to- no one but Kyo could see her anyhow- but it was a habit. Cats, her most usual companion, prowled and stalked, and were silent with the movement. Eris had vague memories of being a very small child, trying to be just like the family cat. It seemed that, after she died, Eris had tried to do that once again. 

Cats were independent- which, now she thought of it, was probably the _real_ reason that the 'Akito' person Kyo had told her about didn't like Kyo- a cat didn't need a god. Heck, cats had been worshiped as gods before themselves!

Cats moved as if they ruled the world. And in a way, they did- humans bent to their will, and took care of them with doing nothing in return, as opposed to dogs, who were trained to obey commands. Cats allowed humans because they made things easier, not because- unlike other pets- they needed them around. Eris worked out, soon after she died, that the best way to stay _somewhat_ sane would be to be like a cat, to not need anyone, ever. She wasn't sure she'd succeeded, humans needed a group, even after death, humans simply couldn't _be_ like cats. Even the most introvert person would start to go insane when they simply weren't acknowledged to the extent she had been.

Eris could remember, perhaps a few years after she first died, she'd really, _really_ gone insane for a while. She wasn't the only ghost to do so, she hadn't met many others- they seemed to dislike a teenager, probably having watched too many bad ones over time, and most teens that did die didn't become ghosts- but she'd still meet some. Most seemed to go insane like she had, for a little while.

Ah, that one and a half years of insanity- they had been terrifying, in retrospect. She couldn't tell, was she real- had she ever been real- or was she the figment of someone's imagination? For all she'd known at the time, the entire world could've been like the Matrix, and she was just some unfinished rogue program. When she touched something, nothing had happened but she went through it, there was no way to prove that she was real because she couldn't interact with the world.

Then there had been a cat- it could see her, it was obvious, it would meow and ask for attention, and when it rubbed against her legs she could almost feel its fur, because the cat _knew_ she was there, and it could almost touch her because it never occurred to a cat that it couldn't.

After that, she recovered somewhat. Oh, she was still inclined to have strange thoughts when the world was quiet and she was alone, but those were more introspective or philosophical thoughts than questionings of existence. Usually.

Still musing to herself, Eris wandered into the next room. Maybe, if she closed her eyes when minimizing any word documents, she could use the computer to see if she could look at the- probably now complete- archives of those web comics she seemed to remember enjoying so much…


	7. Musings

**Chapter 7**

TT: Hey everybody, thanks for the reviews! A little explanation for last chapter to people like Kouseki Yume, who didn't like my focusing on my OC instead of the usual ones- I understand that you're here to read about my story because of Fruit Baskets, indeed, most chapters do indeed focus on Kyo, not Eris herself. But I, as a writer, feel that it's important to give my readers the chance to look into Eris personality by focusing essentially on her and not the rest of them, and did so last chapter. This will, probably, be the only time I do this in my story, so no fear- Eris won't intentionally steal the spotlight.

I could use advice on personalities, please, I'm not certain I'm getting them right and, though they'll probably remain a little OOC, I'd like to keep them as in character as much as possible. 'Specially Haru, since I'm not quite certain how I'll go with him- with the others I've at least had some practice.

Also, this is my first time using footnotes like this- more an experiment more than anything, so tell me how you like them. _Thanks all!_

* * *

Shigure looked away from his computer screen and let out a heavy sigh. Who would've thought he'd miss the fighting in his home every day? It was like something had been taken out of their routine- and his muse evidently didn't like it. 

It was Kyo who his thoughts drifted too- the one who had, or so it seemed, changed overnight. He'd suddenly just stopped obsessing with challenging Yuki, over being better than him. Oh, he was still as hotheaded as ever, but- and this was the part that made Shigure's brows furrow in contemplation- he just stopped going on about beating the rat of the zodiac. At first, Shigure had thought maybe he was just in an odd mood, or brooding, but the behavior had been going on for weeks, possibly even more than a month, now. He hadn't changed, not really, he was still just as hot tempered, and seemed to hate Yuki just as much as he ever had. He just seemed more inclined to win their verbal fights than attack.

And that was another thing, when was Kyo so good at making those snappy replies he'd been giving Yuki as of late? While Kyo was by no means an idiot, in the past Yuki had always made him so mad that he'd never seemed capable of making that sort of reply to his cousin's insults. It was all very curious.

Shigure smiled to himself, still staring out the window, "Ahh, maybe it's just his hormones are settling."

* * *

Tohru hummed to herself as she worked in the kitchen, stirring the rice before her. There was something satisfying about the group enjoying her food, like she really had a purpose for being there. Turning away to chop some carrots to go with it, Tohru let her thoughts stray. 

It had been rather quiet lately. Well, not really- the arguments between Yuki and Kyo hadn't changed, but there wasn't as much physical fighting. It was like Kyo had suddenly lost interest in his passion for beating Yuki.

Or maybe he was just biding his time?

Whatever the case, Tohru wasn't sure what to think. On one side, she was pleased that there was less fighting going on, but on the other she was concerned over what could have caused Kyo's sudden change. Oh, she hoped that Kyo hadn't lost heart, or become depressed, or something along those lines! Maybe she should see if he wanted to talk…

Yuki had seemed equally surprised at Kyo's lack of physical attacks. At first he had been suspicious, expected a sudden attack in almost every waking hour and tensing whenever Kyo entered the room. But, when Kyo didn't show any signs of going through with that sort of scheme, Yuki had faded from suspicious to simply wary of what kind of plan the cat had.

Tohru shook her head, whatever was up with Kyo, she had to believe that he'd come to her if there was a problem. And if he didn't, well, she'd just have to trust him.

She brought the knife down again, head still in the clouds, but abruptly came crashing back to earth with she cut the tip of a finger.

* * *

"Didn't you love the bit where Legolas and Gimli were having their 'competition' with the orcs, and Legolas destroys the war-elephant? And Gimli's quote- '_that still only counts as one!_' is just hilarious! Still, at least it explains why Gimli won the game- did he win the game? Know he did in the book, because Legolas said something like '_I do not grudge you the game, so glad I am to see you on your feet'_. Or, at least, it was something like that, I can't remember now…" (**1**) 

"Mmm." Kyo tuned out the ghost's talking, instead content to finish his coke. There were many advantages to 'chilling out'- as Eris had been quick to dub it- with her instead of someone else. For one thing, when she had decided to drag him to the movies- on threat of keeping awake for the rest of his life- they only needed to buy one seat, and then simply put a jacket on the chair beside it as if it was saved, and Eris would sit there. For another thing, he didn't have to share the popcorn.

"And that scene with Arwen and Aragon near the end of the movie? It was so _sappy_! Didn't you hear the people in the row in front of us go 'aww!'?" (**2**)

"Mmm."

"Kyo! Are you even listening?"

"Mmm."

"Argh!" In frustration she shoved him in the shoulder, sending now familiar chills down his body as he tripped slightly under her attack. It seemed hard to believe that, two months ago at best, she couldn't even knock over a saltshaker without an unbelievable amount of concentration.

"Kyo?" The pair paused, glancing back at where the voice came from. A boy, with white hair that was black at the back, dressed in what looked almost like a bikie's clothes, was standing next to a tree, walking closer when the cat's eyes rested on him.

Eris spoke first, "Hey NeKyo, isn't that your cousin that what, a grade below you? And what's with all the leather, anywho, I thought you said he was the cow- so isn't he, like, wearing the skin of old friends or something. What did you say his name was again, anyway?"

"Haru." Kyo had long since gotten used to how to answer the ghost without making it look as if he were talking to thin air (usually). He sighed, "Lost again, cow?"

"Something like that."

Eris looked between the two, "Again? You mean you were _serious_ when you said he could get lost in his own bedroom? Huh? Huh? Kyo, do something about this guy so you stop having to ignore me!" She gave him a half-hearted pout, trying to will her 'puppy-dog' eyes to the surface.

Kyo rolled his eyes- though if it was his cousin or Eris was hard to tell, "Alright, come on- and try not to get us al- _both_ lost." And with that, Kyo turned, leading the ox towards closer towards the house.

Haru followed in relative silence, not wanting to push his luck with the temperamental cat this time. He'd been much calmer than he'd ever seen him in these past few weeks, but who knew how long that was going to last?

There must have been a cold breeze in the air, because all at once an ice-cold sensation ran down Haru's spine, causing him to shiver.

**

* * *

1**.- Yes, they were watching the third LOTR's movie. Don't know why, that was just the first one that came to me- lets just say that this story takes place a couple of years ago, okay? ;;

**2.** My mum. No joke, she did during the 'kiss scene' in the third movie- I was sitting next to her at the time.


	8. Comfort

**Chapter 8 **

TT: Thanks to everyone who pointed out that I spelt Kyoko's name wrong- spell check doesn't like the name, so it keeps changing it on me. I've updated this chapter so that the spelling's right. (And Dark Inu Fan? I have no idea if his tears go through her or not either)

Can I please emphasis that no, Kyo is _not_ supposed to be in love with Eris. NOR is Eris in love with Kyo, they're just close friends- we all know Kyo needed one. Yes, it _is_ possible for two people (or person and spirit) of different genders to be best friends without any romantic feelings involved. I don't have any intention of making this a romance, and I couldn't do romance anyway.

Also, its been a long time since I saw the LOTR movies, or read the books, so if I got it wrong over who won the competition, sorry, my bad… Still think it was Gimli in the book.

I've got Yuki's personality off the mark? Can you please elaborate- I want to hear why I have and what you expect, so that I can improve.

On another note-school's got me worn out and depressed- can you tell? Kyo's probably a bit OOC, and its kind of angst-y, but sorry, I couldn't help it.

* * *

A door opened, and Kyo walked into the room where Shigure, Tohru and Yuki were all talking. Haru followed dutifully behind the cat.

Kyo motioned towards the boy behind him, walking through the room, "He's all yours, rat." And with that, walked up the stairs.

Haru ignored the departing cat, nodding to Shigure, greeting Tohru, and eagerly drifting over to Yuki's side in the process.

The other three watched as Kyo walked quietly upstairs. Tohru sighed, "Ooh, he's still acting so strangely! Do you think he's sick?"

"Hm, no, he'll be fine. Kyo's too hotheaded to stay like this for long."

"But…"

"Don't worry about him, Miss Tohru, I'm sure its nothing. Kyo probably just has a hairball stuck in his throat, or something like that."

All at once, there was a crashing sound, and as one the four turned their heads. A glass had, apparently, fallen off the table.

Had they had the same senses as Kyo, they would've heard the voice that said "Ooops, my bad."

But as they didn't they could only look confused, and move to clean up the glimmering shards of glass as the water slowly spread across the floor. It rippled faintly once, as it someone who wasn't quite there had stepped in the puddle.

* * *

"They think that you're acting strangely."

Kyo nodded in acknowledgment to Eris' statement. Yet another advantage of having Eris as a friend- when he got her to eavesdrop for him, how could anyone know? "You broke a glass." There was a note of accusation in his voice as he looked at her.

"It was an accident! I was just trying to make it ring by flicking it." Trying to change to subject, Eris quickly added, "Tohru was worried- the others didn't seem to be though, but Yuki's hard to read a lot of the time."

Kyo let out a light scoff, it could've been an '_it took you this long to work that out?_' or a '_he's not _that_ hard to read_' scoff. Eris assumed it was the former.

The specter flopped down on the roof beside the cat, tucking her hands under her head as she stared up at the slowly darkening sky. "Hey NeKyo?"

"Mmm?"

"Today was really fun- we should go to the movies again sometime."

There was a pause, and then Kyo snorted, "You would've found it just as fun if we'd done nothing at all."

The hazel-eyed girl grinned, "Yeah, but that's beside the point."

* * *

Kyo sighed, and rolled onto his side again, staring at the opposite wall through the darkness. How he hated insomnia.

"Kyo!" said teenager rolled onto his back and tilted his head back, looking at the girl hovering above him.

Kyo's brows furrowed, Eris looked… Nervous, as if she'd been surprised by something she had no idea how to deal with.

"Kyo, there's another ghost in the house…" Her eyes darted side the side, as if expecting the second spirit to suddenly appear, "What should I do?"

For a moment, the cat froze, then something in his mind clicked and, with a sigh, he got up and walked into the hall, Eris followed silently.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kyo walked down the hall, to Tohru's open door. Sitting on the edge of the bed was a woman, whose hair was the same colour as Kyo's own.

The new ghost looked up when Kyo stood in the doorway, but then turned her attention back to brushing her transparent fingers through Tohru's fringe.

Kyo whispered quietly to Eris, "That's Kyoko, Tohru's mother."

"Oh- OH!" Eris' eyes widened, now she thought about it, the ghost did look much like the picture Tohru had. "I… I didn't realize she was dead…"

Kyo nodded silently, still watching the older ghost. "She comes to watch Tohru every now and again- its getting less and less these days… I think she's been ready to 'move on' for a while, but she keeps hesitating, wanting to make sure that Tohru's alright…"

Eris nodded, "I know that lots of ghosts stop speaking when they're going to move on… But I also know that most mothers- and often fathers too- spend even just a few days watching over their children before they leave…"

Kyo was silent for a moment, before nodding once to Kyoko and walking back to his room.

"Eh? NeKyo! Wait up." Eris chased after him, before hovering beside him and peering up at his hard face. Her expression turned concerned. "NeKyo, what's wrong?" The cat just shook his head, walking into his room and closing the door behind him.

"Kyooo!" Eris was whining now, "Don't hide from me, Kyo- I'm your friend."

The cat simply collapsed on the bed, arms behind his head, and let out a heavy sigh. Eris sat next to him, absolutely silent.

Sometimes a silent friend was better comfort than a thousand soothing words.

"…My mother didn't stay- not even for a moment. She couldn't stand me- it was because of me that she killed herself…" Kyo closed his eyes against tears that suddenly wanted to flow. He covered his face with his arms.

The arms were suddenly pulled away, and Kyo opened his eyes a slit to look at Eris. The ghost pulled at his arm, making him sit up so that he would look at her.

Hazel eyes met his red ones, and she smiled gently, sadly- "You're my best friend, Kyo- you don't have to hide from me. If you need to cry, then cry- that's why I have shoulders." And with that, she hugged him.

Kyo tensed, but there was no puff of smoke, and he remained human, not a cat. Kyo felt so cold that he could barely feel his fingers, but that icy coldness was somehow comforting- because he knew it meant he wasn't alone.

The silent walls of his room watched as Kyo lifted his arms to hug someone no one else could see, lowered his head slightly, and for the first instance in a very long time, let himself cry.


	9. Bonds

**Chapter 9**

TT: Hey all, guess whose back again? That's right, me! And I bring a new chapter- hopefully the sappiness will be a nice contrast to the angst in the last chapter. Might be just the smallest but of Yuki-bashing, sorry to those who don't like that- its not that Yuki's not a nice person, you see, so much as Kyo doesn't like him and Eris follows his lead.

I'm sure you all know the drill now, any advice you can give me, any ideas you might have- absolutely any at all- please share, I really do appreciate them. Read the chapter, and give me lots of feedback, okay? That's what I like.

Finally- w00t! The story has reached the 10000 word mark!

* * *

Three quiet knocks sounded on the door. Then three louder ones. Finally, after the door had nearly come off the hinges with the force of someone pounding on the other side, the door to Kyo's room slammed open. 

Yuki's eyes glanced around the room, before resting on the huddled ball in the middle of the bed that was Kyo. He walked over and pulled the blankets off, shaking Kyo awake.

The cat opened one eyes sleepily, and then the other. He sat up, hearing the sound of rain on his window. His sight focused on Yuki, and he snorted, before muttering "Well, isn't _this_ just a great way to wake up in the morning."

Yuki's eyes narrowed slightly, but didn't retaliate. Though he wouldn't admit it, even he was starting to get the slightest bit worried about the cat- even with the storm, it was very rare for Kyo to be up later than him. And, Yuki was sure he was imagining this bit, he could've sworn there were tear tracks on the cat's face, mostly concealed by the bleariness of sleep.

Yuki turned on a heel and began to walk back out of the room. He paused in the doorway- "If you want to get to school on time, and still have breakfast, you need to get ready now." And with that, he left.

Kyo stared at where Yuki had gone. Did the rat have a fever- he'd been almost nice to him, making sure he woke up on time. Another thought struck him, and he glared over at the window where Eris was, "Why didn't you wake me?"

Eris look sheepish, "I tried Kyo, I really did. But you wouldn't wake up, and I thought maybe I should let you sleep…" She didn't add the words 'after last night', but Kyo half-heard them anyhow.

Kyo pulled himself out of bed, and stumbled over to beside the ghost, slouching with a growl, "I hate the rain. It makes me so… tired…" His eyes dropped again.

"Kyo!" An icy feeling when through him as Eris gave him a nudge, "You have to get up! How about this- you take a shower and try to wake up, and I'll get your uniform out for you while you do it?"

The cat nodded, walking towards the door, "Alright, fine." And with that, stumbled towards the bathroom.

The walls of his room watched as clothes flew by themselves, spreading across the bed ready to be put on, and books from Kyo's desk floated into his schoolbag, before that itself moved towards the corridor.

But then, the walls of Kyo's room had seen many odd things lately, and didn't think about it.

* * *

There was thunder in the air, and Kyo couldn't keep himself slouching as the group of teenagers walked closer to school. Rain made him feel so weary, and it didn't help that this would be the first real storm of the season. Eris was walking next to him, humming a song the cat didn't know. Just ahead walked Yuki, Tohru and Haru- who had stayed the night. 

Kyo felt drained, and not just by the rain. Last night seemed like a faint memory- faint, but so very important. When was the last time he had been comforted, really comforted? He couldn't remember, it must've been when he was young, and with Shishou, surely. And Eris had comforted him when he needed it. She hadn't tried to soothe him into making his tears stop, like he remembered in the past, she had encouraged him to let them flow, let them out. They hadn't spoken, not that he could remember, but he felt as if they'd shared all the secrets of the world. They must've been up nearly all night, no wonder he was tired.

And he felt empty of emotion, as if he'd let so much out there was nothing left inside him. It wasn't a painful feeling though, more of one being free, he'd let all of the pain out, and now he was simply to emotionally worn to feel anything for the time being. Peace would come later.

He had once read somewhere, '_A friend is someone who reaches for your hand, but touches your heart.'_ It seemed like, all of a sudden, he was beginning to understand what that meant. It was somewhere among Eris' ramblings as she tried to make him feel better in that moment.

"Look at it this way, Kyo- at least you'll get that chemistry test over and done with today, and you won't need to study as hard tonight… Well, maybe in maths."

The cat snorted, "Yeah, great."

"Oh, don't be so negative Kyo. Smile!" The ghost reach over, evidently trying to force Kyo's lips into a grin but not succeeding. The failure didn't seem to upset her the slightest though.

Instead, she gave him a look that was halfway between pouting, and halfway between sly. "Alright, what do I have to do to make you smile on a day like this?" It was almost a game that the two had made- whenever Kyo seemed to be in a particularly bad mood, or whenever the weather had gotten him down, Eris would have to pull some kind of stunt on the grounds that it would make the cat cheer up. Eris didn't seem to mind causing a little trouble the slightest- after all, she had once said, I'm named after an ancient goddess of chaos, may as well live up to the name.

Poor Yuki seemed to be a main target of these pranks, and judging by the gleam that appeared in Kyo's eye as he watched the rat's back, this time would be no exception. "Hmm…"

"Come on Kyo, hurry up and decide!" Eris' face suddenly appeared in front of his, as she hovered cross-legged in the air, hanging upside-down. Her face was full of anticipation, enjoying the thought of some harmless chaos.

15 minutes later, Yuki pushed himself out of yet another puddle. His fifth one, in fact. It was strange, because every time he walked past one, it was almost as if he was pushed, because he fell face-first into it, much to the cat's amusement.

Getting to his feet, Yuki looked at Tohru, hair dripping in his eyes, "I'm going home- I'll be at school when I managed to get cleaned up."

And with those words, turned and walked back the way they'd come. Three minutes later, they heard another splash, and a quiet groan of frustration.

Eris returned to Kyo's side, dusting off her hands. She poked Kyo's cheek, and the cat willingly allowed his grin to show for a moment, the smile fading before Tohru or Haru noticed. But it was enough to satisfy Eris, who went back to humming as she hovered beside him.

It was still raining. And the day still promised to be less than good. But with Eris around, it didn't seem quiet so bad after all.


	10. Whispers

**Chapter 10**

**TT**: Guess who? Hehe, first off, I want to thank everyone for all the reviews- without them, I'd have never gotten the motivation to actually get up to the 10th chapter.

**Kyo**: Chapter 10 already? And so little Yuki-torture!

**Eris**: Ooooh, look at all the people!

**TT**: Anyway, onto other things- the way I've done Hana's power is based off my interpretation of the manga explanation- so sorry anyone who doesn't like it.

Ki-chan, don't worry about thinking I'm in college- I am, but that's just this state in Australia only- it's the equivalent of the last two years of high school everywhere else. If my writing's so good you think I'm older than I am, I think I'll take it as a complement!

I'm glad everyone appreciates my story- and I'm glad no one minded the Yuki-bashing, so thanks for your feedback all!

Finally, advice, ideas, anything at all- share with me, no matter how little or silly it might seem. I get inspiration from the strangest sources at times. Read, Review, but most of all- enjoy.

* * *

'_I wonder how many pieces of chalk I came push of the teacher's desk before she starts to get paranoid…_' 

Hanajima paused in the middle of the maths question she was doing, raising her head slightly to glance around the room. Though it didn't show on her face, she was confused- she could've sworn she'd heard it again, but just like last time she couldn't determine the source.

It was no big secret that she could detect electronic impulses, but few understood her explanation of what this meant. It was different to being psychic, as she'd once told Kyo, she couldn't see ghosts are anything like that- though she imagined she could hear their thoughts if she concentrated hard enough. What she could use them to detect what other people were thinking, though the electric impulses in their own minds. It was, she had found, quite easy to work out whose thoughts were who's after a little practice, which she had done when she was much younger.

But, lately, there had been the occasional thought that just didn't belong to anyone around her. Odd thoughts, static-y and faint to the point she was almost sure it was just her imagination- almost. A whisper in the wind, more than anything. She only seemed to hear the thoughts in, or around, school. Strange thoughts, that didn't fit in with the thoughts of other people that she sometimes actually bothered to focus on and so hear properly.

_Thud_. The sound sounded loud in the silent classroom, and everyone looked up from the quiz they were doing. A piece of chalk rolled away from the teacher's desk innocently, and the teacher moved to pick it up.

Five minutes later, another piece of chalk rolled off the table, then another one a little bit later. Then another one. This time, the teacher took all her chalk, and put all but one piece in the draw, the final piece remaining in her hand.

Five minutes later, Hana looked at the teacher's desk suspiciously- a red pen rolled back and forth near the edge, but suddenly went still again.

Hana continued to watch for the rest of the period, but all in vain. And, she realized at the end, she never finished that quiz, either…

Not that she was really worried about that.

* * *

Kyo ate quietly and let the conversations of the rest of the group wash over him. Tohru had convinced him to sit with her and her friends, and had then been joined by Haru, Momiji and Yuki. The last had returned to school not half an hour ago, and would have fallen into another puddle if Haru hadn't suddenly been there to catch him. 

Kyo wasn't listening to what the others were saying. His attention was divided between wondering why he was there again, and watching Eris in front of him.

Kyo was sitting directly opposite from Momiji, and the hyperactive rabbit's lunch appeared to include several wrapped hard lollies. And, judging by the fact Eris was attempting to pry one out of the lunchbox without being noticed, the girl had forgotten she couldn't eat.

It seemed to take hardly any time at all before there was, indeed, a bull's-eye clutched in her hands. Kyo wondered why no one had noticed the lolly, floating over Momiji's head on its own. He also wondered how anyone, even a ghost, could forget how to open a lolly wrapper. It wasn't exactly hard, you take one end, you twist it so that you had a hole, and you pushed the sweet out into your waiting hand.

Eris twisted the wrapper the wrong way. Then she'd gotten frustrated, and had begun to lose concentration. It appeared to be sheer luck that, when the lolly had fallen through her hands, she had had the reflexes to catch it again before it hit Momiji on the head.

Currently, she appeared to be trying to gnaw her way through the wrapper. Evidently, there were occasions when something didn't work the first time round, and Eris simply got desperate.

The spirit stopped, looked up and gave the cat a pleading look, "NeKyoooo!"

Kyo sighed and got to his feet, turning away from the group.

Tohru called to him, "Kyo, where are you going?"

"Bathroom." He heard the conversation start back up after him, but still waiting until he turned a corner before glaring at the ghost.

Eris gave him a cheeky grin in reply, and handed him the bull's-eye.

Kyo gave her another looked, before easily unwrapping the lolly, the ghost watching carefully, before handing it back, "You couldn't do that yourself?"

Eris shrugged, looking embarrassed- it was a very strange sight- "I forgot how- I haven't had one of these in… Well, I don't know exactly- but it was before I died!" That said, she popped the lolly in her mouth.

"I thought you couldn't eat."

Eris shifted the lolly so that it bulged one cheek, but she could talk properly, "Ghost's don't need to eat, but I figured that around you I can do a heap of other stuff I couldn't do before either, so I decided to give it a try. Besides, I used to love these things." She continued the treat, almost purring with contentment.

"…If you get a sugar-high, then I swear, I'll ignore you for a month!" This threat worked far better than threats of physical violence- Eris had quickly pointed out that a punch wouldn't hit if she didn't let it- and it got the desired result, Eris' eyes widening and her head violently shaking back and forth as a 'no'. Kyo turned and walked back to the group, Eris trailing behind as was becoming usual.

* * *

Hana paused in mid-bite of her lunch, tuning out of the conversation for a minute as she looked around. Kyo was sitting back down, but there was no one else… 

But she was _sure_ she heard that voice again, that quiet one she'd been hearing a lot, say '_Mmm, bull's-eyes…Yummy!_'


	11. Crush

**Chapter 11 **

Eris: TT isn't here. She's been struggling with an English essay due on Monday, and she accidentally knocked herself out with the book she's supposed to be using. But no fear, I've got everything she wants to say to you on this piece of paper! Ahem:

Bull's-eyes are a certain kind of lolly- they're similar to humbugs, except they're red-and-white instead of black-and-white, so they have a different taste. Sorry, that should've been explained better last chapter.

TT remembers that ghost's thoughts are unheard with living people's thoughts- that's why Eris thoughts are so faint and Hana hasn't worked out whose thoughts they are yet. Eris' thoughts are sort of heard in the 'echo' of Kyo's, because she's getting all her power from him.

Also, TT might've done some research on ghosts via internet for the story- and discovered seen ghosts are the most uncommon kind, usually you only get icy feelings, poltergeists, flickering lights and the occasional moving items. In the story, its based on; the more power a ghost has, the more they can do- only the most powerful of ghosts can be seen by everyone. (That's for whomever it was that emailed TT to ask about what the limit of Eris' power is… Sorry, best explanation TT've got)

TT's not very sure about how she did Kagura's personality; I think she might've overdone it a bit. Sorry- give her suggestions on how to improve it and she'll see about going back and work on her dialogue.

Eris: Well, that's it people. Now enjoy the story, and TT what you think. And how great and wonderful I am, of course! What? Oh come on people, help the dead girl boost her confidence a little by humoring her!

* * *

"Any eights?"

"Go fish." Ah, the wonders of boredom on a Saturday afternoon. Both Kyo and Eris were content, at that stage, to simply laze on the roof playing card games.

Except poker- Kyo had gotten mad and accused Eris of rigging the cards in that when she beat him 3 rounds in a row.

"Hey, whose that?"

Kyo turned to where Eris was pointing, and then froze. The colour drained from his face, and he ducked when the dark-haired girl looked up towards them.

"Kyo? Who is that?"

"Kagura." Kyo tensed again, as if expecting the girl to have heard his quiet muttering.

"Wasn't she the one who you said was really crazy about you? And not in a good way? I think you said she was the psycho, obsessive boar." Eris leaned over to get a better look at the girl that scared Kyo so much. "She doesn't look that bad."

The look that Kyo gave her bluntly and obviously questioned her sanity, "You think I've exaggerated, don't you?"

Eris grinned sheepishly, but nodded enthusiastically, "Yep!"

"Kyo!" Two heads flicked to the side to see Kagura standing below, "I know your up there- your always up there! Come down Kyo, please!"

"See? She said 'please'."

"And all the evil villains in the movies have English accents, what's your point?"

"What could it hurt to just go down?"

"My head, my back, my face, my ribs and the rest of my body, my pride, my sanity, my brain... Hold on, let me think, what else _is_ there that's capable of being injured?"

"Oh come on, you have to be exaggerating- what kind of girl deliberately hurts someone they like?"

"That one."

"Kyo! Who are you talking too?" Kagura was briefly worried- was what Haru had said, and that Kyo had cracked and started talking to thin air?

"Just go down."

"I think I'll stay here."

"She'll find the ladder eventually, and then she'll be mad that you didn't come before."

A long pause, "I think I hate you." And with that and one final glare, Kyo nimbly leapt off the roof. For a moment he was freefalling, and the next he was on the ground, kneeling as gravity made itself known properly again.

The next moment, he found it hard to breathe, because Kagura's arms were wrapped tightly around his chest.

"Kyoo!" Said teen winched at the volume, struggling to breathe against the grip of his cousin. "Why don't you ever come to visit me, Kyo! I miss you when your not there!"

Eris wasn't sure what happened. She must've blinked, that was the only explanation to how she could have missed it. One minute Kyo was simply having his ribs broken, the next he's crashed into a tree (which then looked very sorry for itself) and was sagging against it on the ground. Had it been a cartoon, the ghost would've expected his eyes to have been swirling.

"Kyo! Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Ah! Kyo, your bleeding! Oh, my poor, poor Kyo!" Kagura pulled the semiconscious cat towards her, resting his head on her chest. The orange-haired boy made a noise that might have been an attempt to speak.

* * *

Shigure looked up at a sound of knocking on the door to his study. "Tohru? You can come in if you want!" No one else in the house would actually bother knocking. There was a pause, and then another knock.

The dog of the zodiac sighed and got out his chair and walking to the door. He waiting until the next knock started, and pulled the door open.

He glanced around the hallway, confused. The room was empty. There was another knocking sound, this one from just beyond his sight of the hallway. Frowning slightly, Shigure walked towards the sound.

In this fashion, the dog quickly found himself at the back door to his house, a quick knocking coming from the other side. Shigure flung the door open. A few meters away from the house was Kagura, kneeling near a slightly bashed-looking tree. She was holding someone, lying on the ground, against her. Someone that seemed half-dazed, and yet was still struggling out of her death grip. Someone with orange hair.

In his usual, easily distracted style, Shigure completely forgot about the knocker as dirty thoughts over the entire scene entered his head.

With much convincing, Kagura let go of the cat; who immediately tried to get reacquainted with the strange phenomenon known as 'breathing'. His mind finally cleared, and the cat's eyes focused, only to kind Kagura's face just above his, looking worried.

"Kyo! Are you alright?" Said boy quickly got to his feet when Kagura looked around ready to give him another rib-cracking hug. He took a step back to get some space between himself and the boar, and felt a sensation of utter cold going through him. Without even thinking about it, he took anther step back so he was not standing _in_ Eris.

The ghost turned around and gave him a weak smile, "You were right about her, Kyo."

The cat gave a sound that obviously meant 'duh!'

Eris ignored the sound, watching with the cat and Tohru somehow managed to distract the boar and lead her elsewhere. Eris gave her friend a guilty look, "I'm sorry I didn't listen before- I should've known what you were talking about, you've known her for years! …Should we run away, now?"

"That's the only smart thing you've said all day." Kyo turned and walked towards the forest around the house, "Come on. And bring the cards- I was just about to beat you before this whole mess started."

"As if! We both know I was going to cream you!"

"You wish."

* * *

The next day, someone knocked on the door to Shigure's study. The dog looked up, and quietly walked towards the door. When whoever was on the other side knocked again, he flung the door open with a cry of 'aha!'

Tohru let out a startled cry, jumping into the air and spilling the tea that had been in her hands.

"Oh! Miss Tohru! I'm sorry, my lovely flower, I thought you were someone else…"

Kyo, who had been just down the hall at the time, looked at Eris, who laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head with a hand.

"I don't want to know…"


	12. Past

**Chapter 12 **

I'm supposed to be working on my maths assignment, but I'm taking a break. 'Sides, I think the numbers in the question are wrong.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed – it's always nice to know I've actually got someone's personality right. Some mentioned my spelling – I've already gone back and corrected that which I missed. Anything wrong you tell me, take the phrase and underline the word you think is wrong like this and put it in your review, and I'll go back and fix 'em. Thanks!

Be warned, this chapter is a little grim, and it focuses on Eris a bit more than Kyo – sorry to anyone who doesn't like it for that reason, but its something I've had planned to be put in like this since the beginning.

Please tell me what you think!

**Disclaimer**: I own Eris, and I own all rights to her past. Nothing else is mine, not Fruits Basket, or ouija boards.

I do not condone nor condemn the use of ouija boards- personally, I don't like them, but to each their own. They work in the story.

* * *

Kyo blinked at the object Uo was setting up on the floor of the living room, "…Isn't that an ouija board?"

Tohru's friend nodded her head in agreement, "Well, I've always wanted to try this, so why not? And don't look like that, its not like they're _really_ dangerous or anything- that's just rumor."

Kyo stared down at the object suspiciously. He could recall, back when he was probably 12, that a lot of the girls in his class had suddenly been fascinated with the ouija boards- they'd set them up in quiet corners of the playground at recess.

But they'd never been a ghost moving the cup to answer their questions. He remembered seeing something once- some kind of inhuman monster that made his hair stand on end and the air crackle around him, not unlike what Akito did, but on a much larger scale. **(1) **

Perhaps people said cats could sense evil for a reason.

He looked over at Eris, who was hovering next to him, lying on her stomach with her feet in the air. He gave a slight, sharp nod towards the three girls, who continued setting up oblivious.

Eris tilted her head, looking irritatingly clueless, "Huh?"

The cat growled, before hissing quietly, "You answer their questions on that board."

Eris looked startled, "Eh! But, Kyo-"

"Don't let one of those- _things_- do it!"

Eris looked hesitant, but it was obvious Kyo was strong on this 'issue', "Well, okay…" Obediently, she walked over, hovering just behind Tohru's shoulder as the three girls finished setting up.

Kyo leaned on the wall, watching as the three girls, each just the slightest bit hesitant, touched the cup. There was a pause, and then Hana spoke up for them, "Hello?"

Eris hesitated for a moment longer, before leaning over, her hand passing through the three girl's, and she spelt one two letter word in reply, '_Hi._'

* * *

Shigure had been disturbed when he found the girls- and Kyo, who was still watching- sitting around the ouija board half an hour later. Or maybe he was disturbed that the three 'lovely flowers' were convinced that there was a girl called Eris talking to them. Kyo just thought someone was nudging the cup.

The fact that the person nudging the cup was dead and invisible to everyone else didn't stop it from being true.

Then Uo asked the question that all three of the girls had probably been worried about since Eris had started talking to them, "How did you die?"

Nothing happened, the glass didn't move. Kyo was surprised to see Eris was shaking.

Then, very abruptly, the glass moved, so fast and violently that the girls' fingers could barely keep touching it.

The cup stop over the word 'goodbye', and Eris disappeared through the ceiling.

As stunned sounds rose from Tohru and Uo, Kyo silently slipped off to the roof.

* * *

Kyo found the ghost sitting on the edge of the roof, one leg dangling from the edge and the other tucked under her chin, arms wrapped around it. He sat next to her, legs crossed. For a moment, neither said anything.

"Well, that was interesting."

Eris was quiet for a minute longer, before shrugging, "I guess so. But what happens when they try it again?"

Kyo paused, "We'll just have to burn the board before that happens."

"…Your really paranoid about this whole ouiji board thing, you know that NeKyo?"

"Maybe…" The cat leaned back on his arms, looking at the clouds above them, "So spill."

"What?"

"You know what."

"…I just…" Eris looked away, "Didn't want to tell them."

"Suppose that's fair enough." Kyo waited a moment longer, before looking over at the spirit, "How about telling me?" Eris gave no sign of answering, and Kyo sighed in impatience, "You know all my secrets. Come on, at least tell me when."

"Beats me, I can't remember."

"What! You have got to be kidding me!" Eris smiled a strange little smile and shook her head.

"I don't remember when… I remember that I was dead when J.F Kennedy came to power, but I don't think I was born until after – or really late in – WW2. Does that help me?" There was a slight pause, and then Eris spoke again, quieter this time, "I don't remember when, But I remember how… I had a brother, about three years older than me. His name was Loki."

"What was it with your parents and old gods?"

"Shut up. Anyway-"

* * *

The car was noisy- Loki had picked Eris up from the library – where she'd been working on an assignment for school – after going to a party with his friends. Three of his friends were in the back seat, laughing.

Eris sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window into the dark landscape, nose wrinkled at the smell of alcohol from the teens in the back. She turned to her brother, "Loki, should you really be driving?"

"Aww, quit worrying so much 'ris. Nothin's gonna happen."

Hazel eyes narrowed slightly, "Loki…" The 'argument' between the two siblings had been going for at least 15 minutes, and showed no time of ending soon.

Loki took the turn off onto the highway. "Relax, I've got it covered." He leaned back in his seat, taking on hand off the wheel.

"Your drunk! It's not safe to drive like this, and what will mum and dad say?"

Her brother scowled, turning to look at her, "Look, will you just chill sis? I'm not gonna let anything happen, so don't wor-"

"**_LOKI, LOOK OUT!_**" At his sister's scream, the teenager turned his eyes to where she was pointing on the road. The headlights of an oncoming car half blinded him, and he cursed, frantically turning the window.

Eris heard the sound of the car's horn, the squealing of tires, and an immense and sudden pain as the headlights of the other car sent her entire world white.

* * *

Eris moaned and opened her eyes, before sitting up and looking around. When had it started raining? And why was she outside?

Then she looked to her left, and her eyes widened. A car wreck, both vehicles broken beyond repair, was only a few meters away from her.

Suddenly, she remembered everything. She scrambled to her feet- surprised to find that nothing hurt, and looked around desperately.

"LOKI?"

Not thinking, she scrambled over to the cars, looking around frantically, and was stunned to find them empty. Suddenly scared, Eris stood there in the rain, swaying slightly on her feet, unable to move.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Eris' head shot up at the voice, and she ran desperately towards it, "Loki, is that you?" Sure enough, on the other side of the wreck, surrounded by paramedics, were her brother, his friends, and one other person that she assumed was the driver of the other car. Considering the state of the cars, she was surprised at how unharmed they all were. You would've thought they'd be at least on serious injury.

Her brother didn't notice when she called his name, he was focused on the paramedics, who were… zipping someone up in what appeared to be some kind of bag?

"I said leave her alone! You don't know what you're talking about, you've made a mistake, she can't be!"

Suddenly frightened, though she didn't know why, Eris walked forward, slipping between her brother and a doctor, to look at who was in the bag.

Her eyes widened, colour drained from her face, and her pupils dilated. She might have screamed, she didn't know.

Because lying in the sealed bag, eyes closed, hair a mess, lips tinged blue with death and much of her lower body ruined beyond repair – was herself.

* * *

**1.**- A lot of the other girls in my grade got into ouiji boards in my last year of primary school- I did it once, and that was when I was talked into it. This was how they did it. The girls thought that you'd either contact a ghost, or a devil, and you had to ask to find out which. Never made much sense in asking to me, as I didn't see why a devil would answer 'yes' when you asked. Meh, what do I know? shrugs

Also, now you've read the chapter, a cute fact for you - Eris is the name of the ancient (it was either Greek or Roman) Goddess of Chaos and Discord, Loki is the name of the norse god of (Or so I believe...) the same thing - and is also a trickster.


	13. Irrational

**Chapter 13 **

**TT**: I'm back!

**Eris**: Kyooo! Make her go away!

**Kyo**: She's your creator, you do it.

**Eris**: But she's mean! She made me die!

**Kyo**: You were already dead.

**Eris**: Only because she made me that way!

**TT**: Ignore that for now. Eris is just upset that I told her death story for the entire world to hear.

To everyone who said they don't like ouiji boards: Neither do I, I actually think that they are kind of evil, having grown up with a strong Christian background. But some people think differently, and I respect that.

DragonLady – no, I haven't seen 'Ghost', horror movies aren't something I tend to watch, because I'm rather bad with them.

Tidus – Eris and Akito will meet all in good times, just be patient. I have plans for them, but its much closer to the end of the story. Mwahahaha!

**Eris**: Now she's never going to stop laughing! Maybe Kyo and I should quit, then she can't update any mo - Oooh, are those brownies?

**TT**: Kashuneko – I did mention, in passing, that Eris was named after the ancient Greek (it was either Greek or Roman, I can't remember) goddess of chaos and discord, but I don't know if anyone else really picked up on it. I just thought that old Gods was a cute theme for the names of her and her brother.

Sora – thanks for pointing out my typos. When I start getting into my writing, my grammar slips. ;;

Since last chapter was so sad, I'm going to try and make this one funnier – if I get myself into an angst loop, we'll never see the end of it. So this one is more fun, and hopefully just as enjoyable to read as it was to write. BEWARE THE SILLINESS! The alternate title for this chapter is 'Death to The Ouiji Board!' Warning: Slight OOCness may be found, Kyo's reactions are a little extreme.

**Eris**: Ooh, look, chapter 13! Kyo, are you superstitious?

**Kyo**: No, now share the brownies already!

**TT**: Hey, don't I get any?

* * *

Eris stopped her story abruptly, and for a long time didn't say anything, her face taking on a haunted look. "Once I worked it out, worked out I was dead… I was terrified, and confused. I followed them when they took my body, but I can't really remember any of it, can't even remember my own funeral.

"After that, I followed Loki around for a while – you know, he never touched alcohol again after that. But I guess he couldn't forgive himself, because three years later… Well, after he died, I saw him once – right afterwards. He thought I was an illusion of his dying mind, and just wanted to know that I forgave him. Once I said I did, he moved on." She shrugged, almost helplessly, "He just moved on, and I was all alone…"

Kyo stared at her for a moment – the cheerful demeanor of the ghost-girl he knew so well had been replaced with a deep-set hurt. It was just another link between the two. Without hesitating, he reached a hand over and resting it on her shoulder. Instead of falling through, it stayed there, and she smiled weakly at him.

For a long time, they sat there, simply staring out into the twilight in a comforting silence.

"Hey, NeKyo?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Thanks."

* * *

Eris stuck her head through the door, glancing either side, before pulling her head back, turning to Kyo, "Cost is clear. I can't believe you were actually serious about this!"

Kyo gave her a half-heated glare, "Come on, hurry up before someone comes."

"Oh, right!" Obediently, she followed Kyo down the stairs, humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme song as she did so.

In this fashion the pair slowly made their way to the living room, where the ouiji board sat innocently on the table. The sight of the – no doubt evil – object made Kyo's skin crawl. He'd seen what these things could do before.

"Are the gloves necessary?" Eris held her hands up defensively when the cat glared at her, "I was just asking!"

Ignoring her for the moment, Kyo put another pair of thick rubber gloves over his current pair, before lifted the board up at the corners with the tips of his fingers. He flinched, but after a moment opened his eyes and – finding that nothing bad had yet happened – relaxed slightly.

The ghost, hovering at shoulder-height, rolled her eyes, "Want me to carry it for you?"

"No! You'll drop it!" The cat held the object away from her. "Is it safe to go?"

"Hold up -" Eris disappeared through the wall, reappearing moments later, "I think Yuki's at his garden-thing. Tohru's still out with her friends, but I didn't see Shigure anywhere."

"He's probably tormenting his editor, or doing something perverted that I don't want to know about… Stupid dog." Shuddering slightly, the cat snuck towards the door.

Just as Eris was about to open it for him – the cat struggling to keep the board balanced while using only his finger tips – the door opened from the other side. Kyo jumped, and Eris grabbed the ouiji board, holding it above her head near the ceiling.

The door opens, revealing Tohru on the other side. The brunette looks surprised to see Kyo standing there, looking almost nervous. "Oh, Kyo! Were you going out somewhere?"

Heart still pounding, Kyo nods, "Er, yeah."

"Oh… Where were you going?"

"Just for a walk." His breathing paused as Eris, taking an initiative, creeps around Tohru through the door, the offending evil object still held high above her head. All Tohru had to do was look up…

Tohru, fortunately, was unaware of this, though she did shiver from a sudden cold sensation, "Well, alright Kyo, enjoy your walk. But maybe you should take a jacket, I think it's getting chilly out there…"

"I'll be fine." With that he let Tohru through the door, before walking out himself. He waited until the door had closed, before letting out a sigh of relief.

"You're getting too stressed about this, Kyo."

"You shut up!"

On the other side of the door, Tohru paused, wondering what had been with the gloves Kyo had been wearing….

* * *

Giving his eyes a rest from his computer screen, Shigure glanced out the window, surprised to see Kyo almost looking… paranoid… as he took something towards the forest – what, he couldn't say. But that wasn't what worried him. No, what worried him was that the cat had his head turned to the side, and appeared to be talking to someone who didn't exist…

From where he was working in his 'secret base', Yuki thought he heard a girl's voice – one he didn't recognize – and looked up, nervous that he'd find some admirer standing over him. But all he saw was a flash of orange – which he assumed was Kyo – wandering deep into the forest.

* * *

"I really think your being silly about this, NeKyo."

"The board is evil – evil I tell you! It must be destroyed."

Worried about the gleam that had suddenly appeared in Kyo's eye, Eris held her hands up defensively, "Okay! Okay, geesh. When'd you get so superstitious? It's just a painted bit of wood."

"It is evil! If we don't destroy it, it'll try to steal Tohru's soul!"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"…The internet." Kyo admitted, looking the slightest bit sheepish for his earlier outbursts.

"Maybe you should go back to fighting the ra – I mean, Yuki – you're new way of relieving stress is scaring me. Plus, I think its unhealthy to think a piece of wood wants to steal your friend's soul. Does that doctor-dragon/seahorse guy have a degree in psychology? Maybe counseling would make you feel better. I know that being dead means that I'm kinda out of touch with how the latest generation acts, but this is just weird, even for you…"

Kyo ignored the ghosts rambling, instead looking around the clearing before nodding in satisfaction. "This will be fine."

"Okay, what are we going to do? Bury the board?"

Instead of answering, Kyo placed the wooden ouija board on the ground and, much to Eris' shock, brought his fist down on the object, making it break and splinters fly in every direction.

"Kyo! What do you think your doing? You're going to hurt yourself!" The ghost grabbed his hand, looking it over. There was blood on his knuckles, and a splinter was stuck in the back of his hand – which the girl promptly pulled out for him – but seemed otherwise unhurt.

Kyo gathered the pieces of wood and put them in a pile, before pulling out a box of matches.

"Oh – Ooooh! Can I light the match? Can I? Can I? Pretty please?" Eris pouted childishly when Kyo lit the match himself – the cat stuck his tongue out in reply – and dropped the match onto the remains of the ouija board.

"Mwahaha! Yes, burn you evil thing! Burn and return to the depths of hell from where you came!"

"…Hey, that's what I used to say to my maths books when I had to return them at the end of the year."

Half an hour later – with several strange, slightly disturbing and gloating remarks from Kyo towards the burning object – the ouija board was nothing more than a pile of ash that the wind was slowly blowing away.

Suddenly feeling much calmer and more rational than he had been since the ouiji board had entered his home, Kyo turned to walk away from the clearing. He glanced at Eris, "Come on, lets go torture Yuki."

Eris gave a mischievous grin, and nodded her head, darting after the cat, "Ooo, you should put a mousetrap on his pillow some time! Or under the blankets where he can't see it, and when he climbs into bed – SNAP!"

* * *

Late that night, after Kyo had gone to bed, Eris disappeared, and sat hunched on the road guard. Between her feet, attached firmly to the guard, was a bouquet of fake flowers, the colour long since drained out. The cloth petals fluttered in the breeze of passing cars, but no one ever seemed to notice.

One day, she reflected, she should see if she could get Kyo to come here. She couldn't quite remember where her grave was – though she had an idea – but this place was much more a memorial in any case. It was something worth sharing with a friend like the Sohma cat.

A car zipped past, backing her form wavering like a wisp of smoke in its slipstream. If the driver had thought to look in the rear-view mirror at that moment, he might've seen a shadow of a figure by the edge of the road. But, as he didn't, no one will ever know if it would have been the case.


	14. Laughter

**Chapter 14**

TT: A new update for all my readers! Aren't you happy To people who said Kyo's reaction last chapter was a bit extreme – I warned you that it would be, it just seemed to work and be more humorous like that.

water kitsune goddess – thanks for correcting me on the spelling of 'ouija' – I didn't know the spelling, but when I was doing research for them on the web for the story (Which I then paid NO attention to) I saw a site that spelt it 'Ouiji' so… I'll go back and fix all the misspellings I can spot.

Callindead - …I haven't heard of Bleach, sorry ;;

Kat – Probably haven't seen the movie, I haven't seen a lot of 'scary' movies, sorry.

Edward – Just don't get caught, because if your computing teacher is anything like mine, then you might become a ghost yourself!

Sora - I passsed on your message... But I think Eris took it a little too far:

**Eris:** Kyo! I have a fan!

**Kyo:** So, I've got more rabid fangirls than I can count! ...Want one of mine?

** TT:** Exams are coming up in three weeks, people – I promise to do my best to update soon, but I won't be able to make any promises (study zaps my inspiration), sorry about that.

Criticize and what you feel needs improving, comment on what you like, and I'll do my best to improve on it!

* * *

"Come on Kyo, that was weak, I know you can hit harder than th- whoa!" Eris, clinging to the top of the punching bag Kyo was attacking, suddenly finding herself going through the wall behind her as the bag went sailing back, hitting said wall with vigor. "Now that's more like it! Again! Again!"

Kyo showed no outside sign of hearing Eris, but he did kick the punching back hard again while it was still on the rebound, resulting in more encouragement from Eris. Or maybe she just thought that riding on the punching bag was fun – seeing as she couldn't get hurt.

Thankfully, Kagura wasn't at the dojo – when she was Kyo found he could get very little practice done – and Kyo intended to do his best to make up for all the times she had been there at the same time as him.

Surprisingly, Eris seemed to enjoy it too – she'd attempt to copy Kyo's punches and kicks (rather badly) and make the most random comments until it was all the cat could do to not sweatdrop, or burst out into laughter.

"Well Kyo, are you done warming up?" Kyo looked up at his Shisho – the grin the older man received was the only affirmative he needed, and began his lesson with the teen he had begun to think of as a son, completely unaware that there was, in fact, another student watching and copying…

The Sohma-born martial art's master had probably been the first to notice the – at that time, still subtle – changes that had taken over the cat some months before. At first he had thought that it was because of Tohru's influence, but the more he observed the cat, the less he thought that was it – though he had been unable to find a second cause for the changes in personality.

So he remained quiet on the matter, and observed, and listened silently as everyone else slowly began to notice the strange calm that had taken Kyo. And the pranks that, apparently, Yuki had become the butt of lately – it wasn't really Kyo's style to play _pranks_. Laugh at Yuki when he fell for a prank, perhaps, but not create any.

Had Kyo made a friend in someone who he – not only could vent his frustrations to – but also had a mischievous streak? It didn't seem likely – Kyo had been spending a lot of time alone, not with some new friend. Surely he would have heard something if Kyo had started getting on so well with someone other than Tohru.

* * *

"Say, Kyo?"

The teen in question looked over at Tohru, milk cartoon at his lips. "Hmm?"

"Have you seen the ouija board lately? Uo, Hana and I were going to use it again, but we couldn't find it."

Eris burst into hysterical laughter, and Kyo could just make out the words 'crazy', 'pyro' and his own name among the laugher.

Kyo tried to ignore her, focusing on looking innocent in front of Tohru, "No, I haven't seen it."

"Oh, never mind then. Kyo, are you sick, you have a strange expression on your face."

"I'm fine, just tired from training." He walked up the stairs towards his room before he snapped and yelled at Eris to stop laughing at him in front of Tohru – that would definitely distress her.

So he waited until he got to his room and closed the door – Eris floating through it, still laughing – a few moments later, before he lashed out, punching Eris in the chin.

His arm went numb for a moment as his flesh went through the ghost, but it had the desired effect, and Eris desperately tried to quell her laughter.

"Alright, alright!" Another breathless chuckle, "I'll try to - " a giggle, "Stop laughing!" A few more deep breaths, and Eris succeeding in doing so.

Kyo glared at her, "It wasn't funny."

"Yes it was! I thought you were going to act how you did a few days ago – when you got all paranoid and made me make sure there was no one around before you even went out of your room! For a minute there, I thought you were going to shout something about it being 'back in the firey abyss from whence it came' again. Can you imagine the expression on Tohru's face if you had?"

Kyo glared at her again, falling backwards onto his bed, "I said: it _wasn't_ funny." There was a slight twitch of his lips, "It wasn't."

"Uh-huh." Eris suddenly grinned at him, "Didn't you bleach and bury those gloves after you came back?"

Despite himself, Kyo smirked – "Alright, maybe I _did_ go just a _little_ over the top."

"A little? You were calling it the messenger of Satan and making cross-shapes with your fingers when it looked like it wasn't burning as well as you wanted it to!"

"Hey, that was a completely reasonable response!" There was a pause, before Kyo turned his head to look back at Eris. They held each other's gazes for a moment, both going back to the Kyo's hysterical moment, before laughing. "Alright – so it only seemed reasonable at the time."

The two stopped laughing when the handle on Kyo's door turned. They watched as Yuki opened it and glanced inside and around, looking slightly paranoid.

Odd, the rat thought that Kyo had been laughing _with_ someone…

"What do you want, stupid rat?" Kyo glared. "Don't you know how to knock? Or is your brain to full of cheese?"

Yuki glanced around again, before making a noncommittal "hn" sound and closing the door again, giving Kyo once last, suspicious look.

Both cat and ghost waited until they heard Yuki's footsteps go down the hall, before Eris spoke again – "I think he's still paranoid after the mousetraps in his bed."

Once again, Kyo exchanged a look with the prankster that was slowly corrupting him, before they burst into (perhaps quieter, more contained) laughter again.

* * *

Lying by the window in his chambers, Akito frowned as he recalled all the conversations he'd been overhearing about the sudden changes in the cat's personality and mood.

His eyes hardened as he began to contemplate...


	15. Halloween

**Chapter 15 **

TT: Happy Halloween everyone! Okay, so not many Australians celebrate Halloween, but I've got a ghost story so I _had_ to make a chapter for the occasion. I don't know if the 'spooky' bit really worked or not – I just know I've written better. I hope everyone enjoys it, though.

And whoever works out who the ghost is gets a biscuit! (I'd better make a lot of them XP)

To everyone who wants to know what Akito is up to – be patient my friends!

WindChaser – I believe the word you want is 'hysterical', but thanks anyway.

Karen – I don't know about Akito finding out, but, well, you'll find out when I write it. P

Now, everyone in America/anywhere that celebrates Halloween – **_GO OUT AND HAVE LOTS OF LOLLIES FOR ME!_** (Hey, can you send me some? No? Aww… Well, since you can't, review instead!)

* * *

Halloween, also known as Hallows Eve, the night when ghosts were said to rise and spirits walked the earth. There was a surprisingly large amount of truth in those old legends at times – there was something about the night that gave the wandering spirits the same strength that Eris had been gaining from Kyo. Perhaps it was simply that on this night people believed in ghosts more than any other, perhaps it was something else altogether. If the ghosts knew, they weren't saying.

Kyo twisted and turned, unable to get settled for the night. Finally, growling with frustration, he threw the covers off himself and got dressed into some clothes, barely having time to tie his shoes before he stormed up to the roof.

In the living room, the clock ticked, marking the hour as 11:45 at night.

* * *

Eris looked up at the sound of footsteps, and got to her feet when she spotted Kyo. She shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets and smiled at her friend, "Restless?"

Kyo nodded, "Something like that."

Eris' smile turned into a grin – "Can we go visit the others? C'mon, you wouldn't let me try to spook Tohru – lets just go see who we find."

For a moment, Kyo hesitated, but then nodded, "Alright, fine, we'll go say 'hi' to all the other ghosts… Like we don't do that anyway." The last part was muttered under his breath.

"They don't go out much apart from now, or at least don't go very far – you know that! C'mon, NeKyo – there's heaps of dead people for you to meet." Jumping after Eris, Kyo glanced back at the dark house for a moment, wondering if anyone would miss he was gone, before following.

The streets were quieter than they usually were, even for so late at night. Or rather, they were quieter than they usually were, but only if you couldn't see the paranormal. Hana was probably in her home, listening to the thoughts of spirits who, suddenly, would seem as loud as a normal persons thoughts, though perhaps stranger.

To Kyo, the streets were more alive than they ever were in the day. Some ghosts wandered, talking to others, or were checking up on relatives that stilled lived. Ghosts walked through other ghosts with little more than an 'excuse me' as they continued on their way. Some stared, fascinated, with the Jack-O-Lanterns that someone had put out. There were some ghosts that weren't ghosts so much as a last, desperate memory, a faint illusion repeating over and over again. Cats sat on every step and every trashcan, safely out of the way but still able to watch everything.

Then, as one, every ghost froze and was quiet, looking over at the orange-haired living boy who stood beside the girl, watching them back. A few ghosts studied him for a moment, before muttering something to the ghosts around them. Comprehension seemed to dawn upon all of them – they lived in this city, how could they not know about the Sohma cat? With a few smiles, they turned back to what they were doing.

Kyo let Eris draw him through the crowd, trying to avoid the darker-looking ghosts. Just because some ghosts were friendly didn't mean that there were some that didn't fit into those old urban myths.

For several hours the two wandered and mingled, being drawn into random conversations. There were several ghosts who had seen Kyo before – usually when he had curiously wandered into the graveyard to watch them when he was a child, and constantly flocked over to the cat to tell him how he'd grown into a handsome young man. It made Kyo feel like he had a bunch of old aunts – a comment that made Eris burst into hysterical laughter.

* * *

Finally, at what must have been at three o'clock in the morning, the pair began to head back towards Shigure's home. But, passing the main house, Kyo paused, and tilted his head as if he heard something. Expression turning determined, he walked through the gates, and towards the small broken-down building that the cat was sealed inside every generation.

Eris hid behind Kyo, as if hiding, "Kyo, can we please leave – I know you can hear it too!"

And Kyo could – it was something he heard whenever he past by the main house, though not nearly so loud – something that made in shudder, both for the sound itself and the foreboding it brought.

What sounded like a thousand people could be heard from the empty house, slamming their fists on the door, screaming and shouting in anguish and desperation at the top of their lungs, sobbing their hearts out, begging and pleading for what no one would listen to, and the yowling of cats long gone.

Kyo swallowed hard – the sound was so loud he could see the door and windows trembling, and he was sure other people would surely start to hear it any moment. They were sounds that haunted his nightmares, and he loathed to think of the day he would be sealed in there with only the voices for company.

There was a movement in the window, and someone looked out. An elderly man, with a heavily wrinkled face, white hair, long beard and out-of-date, threadbare clothing. He glanced over, and his face softened sympathetically, "Go home, boy. There's no courage in trying to face this challenge head on – this is one its alright to run from." He turned his head, and faded from view. Still, Kyo was certain he'd seem him somewhere before.

All at once, the voices let out a single screech, much louder than all the previous, and several lights from bedrooms in the main house went on. Startled and scared of being caught, the ghost and cat ran, jumping over (or simply running through…) a wall and back towards the forest, hoping, for no real reason they could name, that no one had seen them.

* * *

It seemed like no time at all that the two were back in Kyo's bedroom, the cat panting as he desperately tried to get his breath back from running all the way home at his top speed.

After a moment, Eris spoke, "Hey, NeKyo?"

"Yeah?" A pant, "What?"

"Next year, lets not go by that main house, alright?"

Kyo paused in mid-pant, looking up at her with red eyes, "I agree."

"Well good, 'cause it really ruined the whole night!"

Kyo smirked, but didn't say anything, instead lying down and covering his face with an arm, desperate to try and get a few hours sleep.

"Hey, NeKyo?" When the cat didn't answer, the poltergeist continued, "Just so you know, if that time does come, it won't be you sealed in there with just the voices – I'll be there too, I promise… But I'm not going to let that happen if I can help it anyway… 'Night!" Kyo didn't have to look up to know Eris had returned to the roof for the rest of the night.

It was odd though, the cat didn't recall saying _that_ thought out loud.

In the living room, the clock ticked again. If it had been a grandfather clock, it would have sounded 12 times, as it was midnight.


	16. Foreboding

**Chapter 16 **

TT: Well spotted to those who noticed that only 15 minutes had pasts – and not 3 hours like Kyo thought. Why? My guess is as good as yours, I just felt compelled to put it in. Still, added to the spook factor, at least.

And you all got it right – those poltergeists were all the previous Cats of the Sohma that had been locked away, the one that had a visible form being Kazuma's grandfather, the previous cat. hands out biscuits

DragonLady - .…Uh, what are rockets? (lol, we probably have them hear and I just don't eat them!)

Dark - munches Yum, ButterFinger! But yeah, that was a subtle thing you picked up on, Kyo's more comfortable with talking to ghosts than living people.

Thanks to everyone who said I succeeded in making the part with the main house spooky – I wasn't sure, and reassurance is good! -;;

Exams start next Wednesday, and go for about a week… Not happy with that. But anyway, sorry for taking so long, I've been studying.

** Eris:** No you haven't! You've been reading webcomics!

** TT:** Shush! Ehehe, anyway_, review please!_ Now, enjoy the story!

* * *

Kyo woke up the next morning feeling well rested and in a surprisingly good mood. After being out so long, and after what happened at the main house, that in itself was a pleasant surprise.

Eris' head suddenly appeared through the ceiling. About 5 seconds after it had done so, her hair finally acknowledged the concept of 'gravity'. The girl beamed, "Morning Kyo! I was just going to see if I should wake you for school – guess not. Tohru got up a little while ago, I think she's making pancakes!" She licked her lips at the thought.

"…You _do_ know there's not going to be a plate for you, don't you?"

Eris gave him a sulky look, and flipped through the ceiling so that she was upright and in the room. Once again, it took a few moments before her hair fell back down, "Stop spoiling my fun, Kyo."

Ignoring her, Kyo got ready to take a shower. After a moment, Eris huffed and disappeared through the floor.

Humming a little to himself – a habit Eris was beginning to bestow upon him – Kyo walked towards the bathroom. He wondered for a moment, whether he should go to the graveyard, just for a short while, after school – he was sure that there would have been a few ghosts he knew that he hadn't seen last night.

* * *

Kyo and Yuki were both eating the breakfast Tohru had prepared with her– it was, indeed, pancakes as Eris had foreseen – when Shigure came in, looking distracted.

"There was some kind of trouble at the main house, just Ayame was telling me about it. Oh, and he's planning to come over for dinner sometime this week."

Tohru looked concerned, while Yuki scowled in the background, "What kind of trouble? Oh, no one is hurt, are they?"

"No, no." Shigure waved off her question, instead helping himself to the pancakes in the center of the table – the ones Eris had been looking longingly at for a few minutes. "Ayame didn't say much, he thought planning this dinner so he could bond with Yuki was much more important. Apparently, there were some strange sounds that woke everyone up about midnight" Kyo paused, looking up at Shigure, forkful of pancake in midair, "Just some strange noises – very nightmarish apparently. But they disappeared very quickly, so everyone thought it was their imagination until they discovered everyone else had heard them too. Ayame said something about ghosts." The dog chuckled, as if the very thought was ridiculous. "Anyhow, Ayame was thinking of coming tonight, but if Yuki's busy tonight, or if Tohru will be working late, he was quite happy to reschedule…"

It was then that Kyo tuned out again, biting down on his fork. Then he paused, and looked confused when he found no food on the object. He checked the fork once, before looking down to see if he'd dropped the piece of pancake. When this proved incorrect, he frowned, and looked over at Eris.

The girl attempted to look innocent, which was difficult when grinning cheekily, a mouthful of food making one cheek bulge slightly. Finally, she gave up altogether, instead swallowing her food before speaking, "What? You weren't eating it!"

Kyo growled, and continued with the rest of his food.

* * *

Kyo paused at the entrance of the graveyard, hesitating for the first time since he'd made the decision that morning. Yuki and Tohru were probably home by now, and Kyo wandered if either of them had actually noticed he'd taken a different turn from them yet. Tohru probably had, but as for the rat… Well, if he had, he'd be having a party.

Eris let out an impatient whine, "NeKyooo, are we going in or what?"

"Yeah, alright." Kyo adjusted a strap on his schoolbag, which was digging into his shoulder, and walked into the graveyard.

Instantly the feeling of cold overtook him. It probably wasn't noticeable to most people – it wasn't a physical cold that one got when they walked through a ghost. It was an illusion of cold, created by a large number of ghosts in close vicinity.

For a moment the entire graveyard seemed empty, but then Kyo began to see flickers of movements in the corners of his eyes, and it was as if the entire scene before him snapped into focus. There were ghosts everywhere, not quite as many as last night, but fairly close to it. But they weren't cheerful like last night, it wasn't a festival, and the general mood was somber as always.

Ghosts walked around talking quietly, or sat on their graves. On the other side of the graveyard, he could see an old man trying to place his hand on the shoulder of an old, but still alive, woman who was standing before a grave. The spirits would give him a glance and smile, turning back to what they were doing, but a few motioned him over.

Kyo remembered when he was much younger; he would spend a lot of time here, particularly when he was upset. Ghosts, it had always seemed, were the only ones who didn't judge him, indeed treated him better than his own family.

He also remembered standing before his mother's grave many, many times before, wishing that he could see her again, that she was watching over him… That she hadn't lied when she said she loved him.

Kyo pushed those memories out of his mind, and began to walk around, greeting the specters that were, almost, old friends. Starting with the old man who he'd met at his mother's funeral…

* * *

When Kyo got home, it was Hatori, and not Ayame, was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in front of him, along with Shigure who was acting disturbingly somber. They both looked at him, pinning him to the spot with their eyes.

Hatori spoke in the monotone he was well-known for, "Kyo."

The cat didn't know why he felt so nervous, really, but he had to swallow a lump in his throat before he could answer, "Yeah?"

"I'm to take you to the main house…" The dragon paused to take a sip of the cooling tea, as the shock showed on Kyo's face, "Akito wants to talk to you."

All the colour drained from Kyo's face, and it was only his pride that stopped him from turning and running into the forest with the intention of never been found. Eris looked over at Kyo, and tilted her head in confusion to his extreme-seeming reaction.

Kyo gaped at the doctor, "_What?_" He knew quite well how firm Akito was on the rule of the cat not being allowed at the main house. If Akito actually _wanted_ him to come – well, he didn't want to think about it.

Hatori stood up, startling Kyo from his thoughts, "We should go now." Without another word, the doctor led Kyo to his car, which was parked outside. Kyo thought he spotted Yuki watching from an upstairs window, but before he could be sure, the rat was hone.

Hatori unlocked the doors of the car, and drove off as soon as Kyo had put his seatbelt on. No one, not even Eris, spoke the entire trip. The car was tense, both living humans wondering what Akito wanted with _Kyo_.

In what seemed to be an instant, Kyo was standing outside the main house, where he had always been forbidden to go under any circumstances. He hesitated, then he felt a chill and a pressure on his hand, and Eris smiled at him, walking through the wall, and then glancing back to see what was taking him. Courage renewed just the slightest, Kyo followed.


	17. Talking

**Chapter 17 **

**TT**: **_FRRRRREEEEEEEEDDDDOOOOOOOMMMMMM! WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL FREEDOM!_** Birds all over the city take flight in fear at the sudden cry

**Eris**: Well, we're back, guess what that means, go on, guess.

**TT**: No more study, no more stressing over how horribly I'll do, no more attempting to memorize quotes, no more cramming, no more guzzling caffeinated soft drinks… Err, maybe still the last one – I'm probably addicted now.

Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone for your wonderful reviews, and your understanding and patience over my exam period. So help me, sometimes I wish I _didn't_ have a life outside fanfiction, but I can't help the fact I do. (Just no social life. Meh, shrugs what you going to do?)

This is my first time at attempting Akito, and I haven't had a lot of experience with the character, so apologize for how OOC he probably is. Also, sorry if you think Kyo's not acting right for the situation – let me know how you think he should, and I'll see about how I can alter his dialogue correctly, agreed?

GirlWaterShaman: I've thought about having Eris' possess Kyo, but I haven't found a place where that'd happen – Eris wouldn't possess Kyo without permission, and probably wouldn't do so anyway in normal circumstances. We'll see, okay?

Sora: …wordlessly hands Sora a cricket bat

Kat: Eris may well have had people like this in her life, but its equally possible she didn't. Thing is, she's been around so long, and seen so many things in her after life, that she's forgotten a lot about her life – she only remembers some of the major events.

Hippo: No! None is better than Australia at any sport! None! Eheh, sorry, feeling patriotic. Funny thing is I don't even follow the sport… shrugs Oh well.

Raine: No, no more ghost buddies, just Eris. It's a good idea, but I don't really feel entirely comfortable with added more than one OC to a fanfiction to the extent Eris is, as it would just make it more difficult to focus on the original FB characters. …Besides, I'm not entirely certain Eris' wouldn't act ridiculously possessive if I did that. ;;

* * *

The hallways of the main house were quiet. Normally, the orange-haired boy would have enjoyed the silence, but here, in this house, with nothing to distract him from his imagination of what Akito wanted, the quiet only unnerved him more. He watched Eris, from the corner of his eye, diving through walls and doors, peering into different rooms curiously at a rapid speed. They past a dining room, the door to which was open, and he spotted Eris unscrewing the lid on the saltshaker, snickering to herself. The sight made him smile the slightest internally, but was quickly consumed again by his growing unease.

Within moments, Hatori had lead him into a dark room – the windows were covered from the outside, and the only source of light save the doorway were the small, flickering candles set in the corners. Standing in the center of the room, only just illuminated, was Akito, eyes resting on the cat. Kyo swallowed heavily under the gaze of the older teen, the malicious feelings towards the cat seemed practically tangible.

"You may leave now, Hatori." The Head's voice was quiet, even in the silence, but it still made shivers run down Kyo's spine.

The dragon didn't need to be told twice, he bowed respectively, before walking out and closing the door behind him, leaving the room in near-complete darkness. If he glanced back at Kyo, the cat hadn't spotted it – but then, Kyo found himself hard pressed to take his eyes off the older teen, who could make him feel threatened simply by watching him.

The cat jumped slightly when Eris walked through the door, standing next to him and peering at Akito curiously, head tilted slightly as she tried to study him. For a moment, Kyo felt a pang of resentment – _she_ could be curious all she wanted, because Akito, even if he had known about her, couldn't do anything to her – she was already dead!

Akito walked forward quietly, purposeful strides heading towards the cat, who tensed even more than he already was. For Kyo, the moments seemed to stretch forever, until the older teen was right in front of him. Akito reached a hand out; Kyo barely restrained the flinch, but instead of touching Kyo, flipped the light switch beside the door.

Light filled the room. But instead of making the atmosphere lighter, it only made the entire situation seem more real. Akito stepped back again, studying the teenager in front of him, and felt a pang of rage for how _healthy_ the cat seemed, despite his fear.

For a long moment, there is silence, and Kyo forces himself to restrain his fidgeting. Eris was standing next to him, also silent and still, her presence giving Kyo a feeling of companionship that he is grateful for.

Finally, Akito speaks, voice still quiet, edged with malice, "I've been hearing rumors lately, Kyo. About you acting… different, recently."

Kyo finds he has to force himself to speak – "Different, Akito-sama? What do you mean?"

"Quieter, spending less time alone than previously… No longer fighting against Yuki." Akito took a step, perhaps two, forward, "Don't tell me that you've given up our little bet?"

Kyo shrugged, "Not given up, just lost interest." Even before he said it, Kyo suspected that it was the wrong thing to say.

"Have you? Does that mean you're ready to be locked away already?" The sharp edge to Akito's voice became colder and sharper than Kyo thought was possible. When Kyo didn't answer other than a glare, Akito continued, "Tell me, Kyo, did you hear what happened the other night?"

Kyo's shoulders tensed slightly, "If you mean the noises, Shigure said that Ayame mentioned something."

"Really? Is that all you know?" Akito's dark eyes narrowed, "So, I suppose you weren't aware that the noises came from the cat's house? It has everyone rather upset."

Kyo swallowed, "No, I didn't know that." He barely finished the sentence before Akito struck him, his head flying to the side by the force of the blow, a loud crack sounding as flesh met flesh. Eris gaped, then glared at Akito, even though she knew he couldn't see her, and yelled at him.

Naturally, Akito didn't react, instead moving his head so it was closer to Kyo's. "Now why don't I believe that?" His voice had become a dark hiss, every word punctuated with a harsh punch in the stomach, "You've been acting very oddly lately, Kyo. The way you've been staying by yourself so much, one might almost think you'd found a friend other than that girl." Kyo didn't have to ask to know that the girl in question was Tohru. Akito grabbed him by the hair; yanking it so hard the cat was surprised it did come up. The older teen forced him to look up at him, now practically snarling, "But then, who'd befriend a monster?" With that, he flung the boy away, causing him to crash into the floor in the middle of the room.

Kyo pushed himself to his knees, but froze when he spotted a familiar black-and-white beaded bracelet held in Akito's hands, said teenager looking down at him with hatred.

For a moment, Kyo felt the icy hands of Eris on his shoulders, but then he was distracted by the sharp and sudden pain of his body shifting and changing on him. People didn't seem to realize it, but changing into his 'true' form _hurt_ – it wasn't a suddenly change and a puff of smoke like with his cat form, instead it was his body shifted and changing in on itself – bones shrunk, extended, and shifted positions under his skin, dragging muscle with it, his entire body twisting and changing. Oh, the entire process only ever seemed to take moments to the watcher, but to him it often felt like eons, and at times he was sure that a bone was going to snap or get caught half way through shifting. It was all he could do not to cry out at times.

Kyo was certain that he could hear Akito's voice, mocking him no doubt, and reminding him what a monster he was, but he couldn't focus on it, his attentions forever being diverted back to his transformation. A part of him wanted to reach out, or at least call out to Eris, seek the comfort that only she, and perhaps Tohru, had ever given him, but he couldn't make his mouth work.

Akito watched Kyo writhe on the floor as he transformed, feeling a sick sort of contentment in the fact, as he continued to remind Kyo that he really was a monster – somehow he didn't think the cat was listening.

Kyo suddenly gasped quietly in pain – Akito's eyes narrowed, he was almost certain that, in that sound, Kyo had attempted to say something – to call out to someone, perhaps?

But the train of thought was interrupted, as there was suddenly a loud, practically inhuman shriek – similar to the ones that had been heard a few nights ago. The entire room dropped several degrees as the doors suddenly fell open, revealing several of the other zodiac that had, as it seemed, been listening outside the door.

Then, at the precise moment Kyo's transformation ended, all hell broke loose.


	18. Rage

**Chapter 18 **

**TT**: BEHOLD! THE REASON YOU SHOULD NEVER ALLOW ERIS TO LOOSE HER TEMPER!

**Eris**: _:plays with fingers:_ I wasn't that bad, was I Kyo?

**Kyo**: Woo! Go Eris! That's the way to show Akito who's boss!

**TT**: Anyway, I'll be quiet before I reveal the entire plot of this chapter before you read it. Well people, you said you wanted me to update quickly – so I wrote this the day after I updated, I just had other things to do and couldn't put it up straight away. I'm glad I got Akito right – now, lets see how I do in this one…

Everyone, enjoy and review!

_Wildfirefriendship _– I switch tenses? Darn, see the thing is that when I read what I write, I read what _should_ be there, as opposed to what I actually wrote. It's a pretty bad habit.

_Dark Inu _- …Now I want to deliberately make a place to put that piece of wisdom in! (too bad I don't think I'd be able to, even if you did let me…)

_Peppymint_ – your wish has been granted (as have most people's)

* * *

The shrill screech – one that Kyo could identify as Eris' war cry, having heard it once before – was louder than any of the cries the ghosts at the cat's house had been. The lights flickered wildly, a few of the bulbs breaking. The windows cracked, before frost began to crawl up then. Furniture was knocked over, tossed around and broken, any loose or fragile objects rising from where they had lain to fly towards Akito, crashing into pieces around him. A book, which had been resting on a table, was abruptly torn to pieces, tiny pieces of paper fluttering in the sudden wind that swirled throughout the room. Akito felt a force against him, one that left him cold, and he stumbled back as if he'd been pushed, Kyo's bracelet being yanked out of his hand and hover in the center of the chaos.

The room grew colder, and barely heard over the scream was the quiet 'meowing of a single, curious cat, who walked _through_ the one of the walls and sat near the window, watching with transparent eyes.

In the doorway, where they'd fallen in a pile, were the other zodiacs. They couldn't quite bring themselves to move. Eyes moved towards where Kyo was lying, but before they could get a good look their attention was diverted back to the flying furniture.

Ice began to coat the floor, and the air grew misty with ice particles. In the center, standing just in front of Kyo prone, crouched body, something appeared out of thin air as the war cry, at last, stopped, and leaving a ringing in everyone's ears.

And there stood Eris, her hair had escaped from her usual ponytail, and the brown locks flared in all directions from her head, as if she were filled with static electricity, her black jacket doing the same trick. Narrowed, hazel eyes _burned_ with an intensity that few living humans could ever hope to produce, her face twisted into a snarl of rage. In one of her clenched fists was Kyo's bracelet.

Akito, stunned by the display, and unnerved by his sudden lack of control over the situation, allowed his eyes to widen, and he swallowed softly. Eris seemed taller than Akito, as she was hovering an obvious half-meter from the ground. Her body continually shifted from solid to transparent, unused to willing itself to be seen and incapable of keeping it completely solid. But that only added to the supernatural, chilling effect her entrance had had.

Eris' hand clenched around the bracelet a little tighter, the knuckles going whiter than what would have otherwise seemed possible. "How _dare_ you!" She hissed, her voice was full of barely restrained anger, an iciness so cold it burned. "_How__dare you do that to him!_" Ice began to creep up the walls of the room, causing the ghost cat to meow in protest – making everyone but Eris jump – before leaping up onto the windowsill, watching the scene in front of him with indifferent eyes.

Akito's face darkened again, angered by the girl's lack of respect, towards him, and he attempted to recover some of his lost ground with his reply, "Oh please, stop acting as if it's human – the cat is nothing but a monster. And just who do you think you are?"

"_Me_!" Eris let out a feral grin – one that she'd probably picked up from Kyo, and mastered ahead of him – "I am your worst nightmare – I'm a monster too, the one who'll haunt your sleep for an eternity if you ever touch Kyo again." She stepped forwards until she was inches from Akito – she seemed to suck the heat right out of his skin, and Akito's fingers started turning blue, "Your dying, Akito, your going to die one day soon – and once that happens your mine forever, mine to torment until you'd plead with the devil to go to hell. _And the same goes for everyone else!_"

Still lying in a pile in the doorway, the rest of the zodiac jumped, and Haru – would was near the bottom of the pile – found that his hand was stuck to the ice covered floor. In the center of the room, Kyo shifted, and the remaining zodiacs gasped at the sight of the form he'd taken.

_"Eris…"_ Slitted eyes tried to focus on the ghost, Kyo's voice laced with confusion. Kyo couldn't tell that she'd changed her form, so that the others could see her, to him she looked the same as always. This fact made the conversation in front of him confusing. _"Eris, what are you doing?"_

Eris' expression changed, from wild and angry, to softer and friendly, and with barely a movement she was next to Kyo again, doing her best to smile reassuringly, but it only came out mischievous, "Who me? I'm just telling Akito something he should've heard a long time ago."

Akito tried to move as the ice began to climb up his ankles, but found himself stuck. But the movement got Eris' attention back, and she turned to face him, standing in front of Kyo defensively.

"You've been warned, Akito." Eris spat out the name as if it left a bad taste – like leeks – in her mouth, her fists noticeably tightened, as her scarcely controlled rage increased, "You just… **leave NeKyo alone!**"

With that final shout, every remaining light bulb shattered, plunging the room into darkness. Eris' body seemed to disappear completely, and Kyo's bracelet hovered in the air for a single moment, before it fell to the ground right next to the paw that had previously been his left hand.

The cat on the windowsill let out another meow, and jumped down, walking across the completely iced-over room towards the door, and through the zodiac pile that lay there – sending shivers of cold through them all, before it disappeared completely in the middle of the hall.

Finally, able to move at last, the zodiacs desperately ran without looking back, except for Hatori and Kureno, who opened the doors wider to allow more light in.

Kureno ignored Kyo, instead walking over to the profile of the other male in the room, "Akito-sama?" Then, as he got closer, he gasped. Hatori walked over to see what was the problem, before his eyes widened.

Akito stood utterly still, a stunned expression on his face, and completely coated in a thin layer of ice.


	19. Acceptance

**Chapter 19 **

Hey everyone! I'm glad that everyone was happy with Eris' way of dealing with Akito – I know I am. If anyone was wondering, Eris got rid of all the heat in the room, lowering the temperature to below freezing point, all the water in the air was instantly frozen. Kyo didn't freeze because he's special. P Give me a few more days and I'm sure I'll come up with an excuse other than 'I said so', just as with the ice (I made that up just then! D)

And no one knows who Eris is yet – I'll imagine they're confused as heck about what happened, but the possibility of a ghost-girl defending their cousin hasn't come into their minds yet. (Wouldn't come into mine, either)

Dark Inu – I couldn't say for certain, but yes, I think that the ghost cat that appeared was the first cat to be locked away by the Head.

Sora – Well, making it seem as if the reader was there was the effect I was going for. Glad to know I got it!

Hippo – …I _like_ writing cliffhangers.

* * *

To be perfectly honest, Kyo didn't remember much of what happened after Eris finished 'talking' to Akito. (But then, he didn't remember much of that either, at first. He'd been too distracted by the fact that practically all the zodiac had now discovered his shameful secret) He remembered how she suddenly collapsed onto her knees, and seeing what looked liked sweat dripping off her brow. But if anything else had happened, Kyo wasn't aware of it – in fact the last thing he remembered at all was moving his hand to protect his bracelet defensively. 

The next thing Kyo knew, however, was finding himself lying on something soft, but seeing nothing but darkness. It was only after a minute of mentally freaking out over the thought that he was blind before he realized his eyes were closed.

Opening one eye hesitantly, he quickly closed it again when the light made his eye water. Opening it again slowly, the teen was able to recognize the ceiling above him as his own. Slowly, he opened his other eyes, and looked around, confirming his suspicions that he was back in his own room in Shigure's house – though how and when he'd gotten there he had no idea.

Had everything that had happened with Akito simply been a dream? Kyo used his elbows to push himself up a little, and winched at the pain in his chest the action gave him, where Akito had punched him several times. No, it hadn't been a dream then.

There was someone sitting on the end of Kyo's bed, not facing him. It took Kyo only seconds to recognize them – "Eris?"

The ghost stiffened in surprise, before turning around to face him. For a moment, she didn't move. Then she was hovering by his shoulder, hugging his as best she could – her arms going through him in the process, a wide smile on her face, "NeKyo, you're awake!" Kyo winced as her voice reached a squealing pitch.

"Eris." Kyo's voice was scratchy and slightly hoarse, his throat dry. He attempted to swallow once, before giving up, "What happened before?"

"Before the doctor-dragon/seahorse guy – "

"Hatori." Kyo's correction was automatic.

" – Yeah, him – took you back here? Um…" Eris rubbed the back of her neck and looked sheepish. "I sorta… lost my temper – just a _little_."

A memory flickered into Kyo's consciousness, "You _threatened_ Akito!"

For a split second, Eris forgot to look embarrassed, instead grinning, "Yep! He was sooo scared; he was about to wet himself! I mean – " Catching herself, Eris poked her index fingers together, "I might have gone overboard a little."

"You _threatened **Akito**_."

"…I'm just going to wait until your brain gets off repeat, now."

"You threatened _Akito_!" Kyo's cheek twitched in the tiniest of smiles.

There were quiet footsteps outside Kyo's door, and it opened to reveal Tohru. Her eyes paused on Kyo, sitting up slightly in bed, before they lit up, and she beamed. "Kyo! You're awake!" For a moment, she looked as if she were going to rush over and hug him – making Kyo tense – before she restrained herself, instead walking over to stand over him. Eris grudgingly moved to the bottom of Kyo's bed as Tohru did so. "How do you feel? Are you hungry, thirsty? I could cook you some fish, or get you some milk. Oh, I'd better tell the others your awake now – you've been asleep since Hatori brought you back yesterday. Oh yes, he wanted us to call when you woke up, too! What happened to you, Kyo? Was there an accident? Was anyone else hurt?"

Kyo blinked once, and then a second time, and then a third, before he spoke, voice still hoarse. "Milk?"

"Oh, right!" Tohru moved towards the door again, "I'll get you a glass, and let everyone else know your up. Shigure will probably call Hatori. How about I cook you something, and you rest, I'll bring it in when it's done, alright?"

Wordlessly, Kyo nodded, and watched as the sweet girl left the room.

The cat lay back down, and closed his eyes, but it only took him moments to work out he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. His brain had decided that, no, it wasn't tired, and he still had to talk to –

"Eris?"

The ghost was back, sitting near his shoulder, almost before he'd finished speaking. She touched his shoulder – the icy chills had long since become a great and familiar comfort, "Yeah, NeKyo?"

"You don't think I'm… a monster?"

Eris laughed, not an 'you're an idiot' laugh, so much as an ironic one. "I'm a ghost, remember? _I'm_ the monster here – ghosts are only a step up from vampires, werewolves and zombies, if that."

"But… Didn't you even see how I looked – "

"Trust me, my body looked worse after the accident." Kyo didn't have to ask for clarification.

" – How I smelt?"

"…I can't say that my brother's gym socks were worse, it's kind of a toss up. And there's no point in saying that my body probably smells worse, because I don't know… So how about, _I don't care_?"

"…" Kyo had to look away so that Eris wouldn't see that his eyes were getting misty. For some reason, Eris' almost indifferent acceptance to Kyo's other form made him want to cry. "Eris…"

Eris hugged him again, and for a long moment, there was a comfortable silence. Then Eris gave the conversation a needed topic change, "Wanna play 'go fish', seeing as you never play poker with me anymore?"

Kyo smirked, "That's because you rig the deck."

* * *

It was two and a half hours before Hatori finally came to check up on Kyo – who, according to the 'doctor-dragon/seahorse guy' (Eris complained that Hatori was too long to remember, and stuck her tongue out at Kyo when he pointed out her name for him was longer) had a broken rib, and two others were cracked. 

"Akito has hypothermia." Hatori's voice was emotionless, not displaying the weariness that the Head's latest illness was causing him.

Kyo looked towards the doctor as his bandages were rewrapped, "He's still alive after what happened?"

"Barely." Hatori managed to successfully conceal any disappointment he may have had. "There's one thing I would like to know." He paused when Shigure came into the room, wailing about something trivial.

The cat growled irritably, glaring at the dog, "What?"

"_Who_ or _what_ was it that did that to Akito? That did all that damage, that _froze the entire room_?"

There was a very long silence, even Shigure had shut up when the question had been asked, almost holding his breathe. Kyo wouldn't have been surprised it Yuki was listening at the door, or if the rat had got Tohru listening as well. After a moment longer of looking at the blanket in front of him, Kyo smiled softly, "Eris did."


	20. Answers

**Chapter 20**

TT: Am I the only one who thinks Yuki's behavior in this chapter is a little unlike him? Hmm…

Well people, I've updated again – aren't you happy! And because everyone keeps claiming I'm evil to use them, there is no cliffhanger today.

Enjoy and Review!

* * *

There was a long pause, before Shigure spoke, pointing dramatically at Kyo, "Aha! Our Kyo has been going on secret trysts to meet a lovely flower, hmm? Oh Kyo, why did you never mention it to me before, you naughty boy?"

Scowling and his hair bristling in anger, Kyo grabbed the shoe that Eris quietly put next to his hand, throwing it at the dog of the zodiac, "Shut up, you stupid pervert!"

Eris whooped when the shoe hit Shigure directly in the face, "Yeah, you heard NeKyo! …Hey, Kyo, need another shoe?"

Ignoring the way Shigure grabbed his arm and whined to him that Kyo was being mean, Hatori attempted to regain Kyo's attention, "Who is Eris?"

For a long moment, it seemed as if Kyo wouldn't answer, instead looking at the wall near his bed – what Hatori didn't know was that he was looking at Eris, silently enquiring if she minded if he answered honestly. The ghost shrugged indifferently, and Kyo sighed, "She's my friend – my best friend – but she's also a ghost."

Hatori blinked, Shigure wailed, "A ghost! Ahh, I need to call an exorcist."

"Hey, you actually said it! You said I was your best friend! Aww, NeKyo, you're my best friend too." Eris hugged him, giving her arms a stern look when they went through him.

Hatori spoke, slowly as if dealing with a confused child, "Kyo – ghosts do not exist."

"…Don't exist… I don't exist? …Waahhh! Kyo – he said that I don't exist!" Eris sniffled, before wrapping her arms around him and sobbing (just a little dramatically) into his chest, "I do exist! I do! I've spent the last few decades trying to convince myself of that!"

What Hatori saw was Kyo suddenly pull himself back from something the doctor couldn't see, his red eyes wide, "Since when do you cry!" There was a slight pause, and then Kyo gave the doctor an annoyed look, "Now look what you've done – you've made her question her own existence, _again_!"

The conversation was interrupted by a timid knock on the door, before Tohru opened it and walked in, carrying a tray with three cups of tea and an electric kettle full of water. "Oh, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting – but I thought you all might like some of this, and I brought up this so that Kyo can make himself some more tea if he gets thirsty again later – this way he doesn't have to go downstairs." She busied herself with a moment by handing out the tea and plugging the kettle into the wall near Kyo's bed.

"Ah, Tohru my lovely flower, you are so sweet – so kind and thoughtful!"

Tohru smiled, and then left the room again. She cast one curious look to Yuki, who had been standing near the door when she had come in, before walking to the kitchen to start on dinner, still wondering what the glass Yuki had was for.

* * *

Yuki waited until Tohru had gone back downstairs, before putting the glass to the door again, his ear to the bottom of the glass. He felt sort of bad for eavesdropping on the cat like this, but the fact was that no one would even tell him what had happened when Kyo had met with Akito. Not only that, but he was still wondering about the strange change in personality Kyo had suddenly picked up all those months ago – and no one was willing to give him any kind of answers. If this was what it took for him to at least discover why Kyo had changed so much, then so be it…

However, he suspected that the entire half-heard conversation was only making him more confused.

* * *

Hatori waited for a moment longer, before turning back to Kyo. He wondered whether the stress of being the cat of the zodiac had caused the boy to start imagining this 'ghost'. Absently sipping the tea, he began to approach the issue logically, "Kyo, even if there was a ghost, how would it be that you could see it and no one else could."

For a second, Kyo scowled, before muttering his answer, "Because I'm the cat. Eris says that only cats and psychics can see ghosts in normal circumstances."

"Then how do you explain what happened yesterday?"

Kyo opened his mouth to answer, but paused and turned to look at someone invisible next to him, listening intently, "Eris says she had a lot of power built up from hanging around me so long, and she just let it all out in one burst – she's back to square one now, doesn't even know if she can do the 'knocking trick' on Shigure at the moment."

For a moment, Shigure wasn't sure what Kyo was talking about, but then remembered the incident many months ago, "That was her! But, that was so long ago – she's been around that long…?"

"Longer than that." Kyo shrugged indifferently, his gaze looking at the wall – or possibly Eris – instead of his older cousins. In the background, the kettle began to boil.

Hatori sighed, "Kyo, Akito is furious about what happened, I need to give him an explanation, and I doubt that he's going to believe that there was a ghost. _I_ don't either, I haven't seen any real proof of what your claim - " He paused, eyes resting on the kettle. The other two followed his gaze.

Eris took her hand out of the kettle again, waiting until the water bubbled violently again before putting her limb back through the plastic and making the water cool again, giving Hatori a pointed look that he couldn't see, "Water boils… Water cools… Water boils… Water freezes… Oops, now we have ice!"

Kyo rolled his eyes, "Is that proof enough, or should she put her hand into your head and give you a brain freeze too? She's done it to me before, you know – hurts like heck."

There was a pause, Eris changing the subject back to something previous, waving her hands around for emphasis.

"And Eris says that if the 'God of the Sohma' - and yes, she did do the finger wagging thing, its not something I added, so stop looking at me like that – wants to go up against the goddess of Chaos again, she'll be happy to finish him off this time, because there are plenty of other spooks who'd dearly love a word with the Head. Oh, and she wants you to tell him that that wasn't a threat, if he wants a threat she'll deliver it herself, only she'll be sure to cause more damage than last time."

Shigure looked thoughtful for a moment, "Eris, Eris…Oh yes, wasn't she supposed to be the ghost that Tohru spoke to with that Ouiji board? Whatever happened to it, anyway?"

Neither Hatori or Shigure could understand the look that suddenly crossed Kyo's face, but both were certain that they had indeed heard the ever-so-faint sound of a girl's hysterical laughter.


	21. Recapping

**Chapter 21 **

TT: Is it just me, or does a lot of this story just happen to be a chapter to fill in time?

Eris: Well, dog-pervert believes in me know, so I have two people to draw off - I'm not complaining.

Kyo: Anything to put off school.

TT: The main characters have spoken!

Since Kat asked, and I thought that maybe other people might like to know, I have no problem with people printing out my stories, just so long as you don't try to claim it as your own and you keep my name on it (but I'm not paying for all the ink you'll use! P)

SillyLittleNothing - the ouiji board might be burnt to ashes, but it won't go away!

Kyo: I _told _you that thing was evil! It's trying to haunt the story! It wants to TAKE OVER!

ShadoWalker - the ouiji board is from a previous chapter, and it won't leave

Klove - Now you need to read another chapter

Kat - Alright, I'll see what I can do in the next few chapters!

Tally - Kyo's mother didn't become a ghost, she moved on almost immediately after she died. Kyo knows this too, in fact that probably hurt him more than the fact she killed herself because of him. I studied Japanese for, oh, probably a year, but that was a long time ago, I wasn't any good, so I don't know either.

One more thing: **_W00T! 200-REVIEW MARK REACHED! _**I love you guys! If I do 30 chapters, will we get 300?

Eris: Popular, we're popular! Wheee! blows party-blower

Kyo: …So can I eat the cake now?

* * *

"The dragon-doctor – " 

"Hatori."

" – Right, Hatori – he still doesn't think I'm real, does he?"

Kyo paused, lowering his glass of milk, looking thoughtful, "Hatori's… very sensible, I suppose. He doesn't believe in ghosts, or anything like that as far as I know."

"Kinda hypocritical, considering he's cursed."

"Mmm. Just don't go haunting his room or something, in order to make him believe you exist."

"Of course not. What kind of specter do you take me for?"

Kyo gave her a sly look out of the corner of his eye, "You just don't want to be away from me too long – I'm your 'power source.'"

Eris gave him one of her familiar, cheeky looks, "Heh, how'd you guess? Do you think they'll tell the others about me?"

"Well, Akito's going to know at the very least – Why, having seconds thoughts? Because if you are, tough, it's a little late for that!"

"No, I'm more worried that Yuki's brother – the pretty long-haired snake guy – will encourage Shigure to call that exorcist."

Kyo looked at her, "That stuff works? It didn't with the ouiji board."

"I have no idea. It probably works if you do it properly, but I just don't want to find out. And your idea of exorcising the ouiji board was to make cross signs and command it to go back to hell while it burned."

Kyo scowled at the memory, muttering, "Didn't burn very well, either. And before you say it – _I did not overreact!_"

"Ha! Yeah right, c'mon, you know you did – you're just in denial."

"You should talk, weren't you in denial about being dead for, what, two years?"

"Well yeah, but that just means I can recognize the symptoms in you."

"Riiiiiight."

"By the way, I think we're scaring Shigure."

"Eh?" The cat turned away from Eris and the glass of milk he had on the table, to see Shigure standing in the doorway of the dining room, a disturbed expression on his face. Kyo glanced back at Eris, "How long has he been there?"

"Just before we got onto your denial – in time for the burning comment. And before you ask, no, Tohru didn't pass by while we were talking, neither did Yuki."

"Okay then – and I'm not in denial."

Eris smirked, her voice changing to a singsong tone, "Yes you areee."

"I said I am not!"

Shigure cleared his throat, "Uh, Kyo, who are you talking to?"

Kyo didn't look around, "Eris – she's being annoying as well as stupid – Ow!" He suddenly grabbed his head, eyes screwing shut in pain, "Damn it, Eris, don't _do_ that brain freeze thing, do you have any idea how _freaky_ it is to watch someone's hand suddenly go into your head between the eyes?"

Shigure paused for a moment, before sitting down in the closest seat, eyes focused on the same point as Kyo, as if he'd be able to see Eris if he stared long enough. "She really is real, isn't she?"

"Of course she is, you stupid dog! Why the heck would I lie about something like this that'll make everyone think I'm insane?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead bringing his glass of milk to his lips.

"…And she calls you 'NeKyo'..."

Kyo spluttered, milk going everywhere and choking on what got caught in his throat. Eris thumped him on the back – Kyo stared aghast at Shigure – the dog noticed that his face had turned bright red – "Where the hell did you here that?"

"Ayame called just before – he wanted to know how you were doing – he was at the main house when Akito called for you, and he saw the whole thing."

"And out of everything she did, you two only remembered the nickname she gave me?"

Shigure looked surprised, and then smirked, "You mean that she really _does_ call you that!"

Face still completely red, Kyo glared fiercely at the dog, "Shut up!" He glared at Eris from the corner of his eye, "Now see what you've done!"

Eris gave him a wide-eyed pout, "What did I do? I mean, how was I supposed to know they'd actually pay attention to what I call you? Besides, its not like you'd let anyone else use to nickname in the anyway. What's the harm in them just knowing?"

"Its embarrassing, that's what!"

Eris retaliated by sticking her tongue out, before changing the subject, "NeKyo, the perverted dog is staring through me."

Rolling her eyes, Kyo glanced back at Shigure, "She wants you to stop staring at her – she hates it when people stare at her when they don't even see her."

Shigure wondered how Kyo could know so much about the invisible presence in the room – they must have become quite close (the fact that this 'Eris' was dead kept his perverted thoughts at bay), and no one had noticed. Oh, they'd noticed that Kyo's behavior had changed, but not to this extent. He looked back over at Kyo, "How long has she been around, exactly?"

"She's been dead a lot longer than any I know of has been alive, if that's what you mean. She sometimes talks about things, like how cars once used hand signals… But she's good help in modern history."

"I see." Well, that was something to relay back to Ayame, at least. "Ayame and Hatori both said something about a cat – or cat ghost – being there as well…"

Kyo frowned – he had been rather out of it when Eris had decided to teach Akito a lesson. He looked at Eris.

Eris met his gaze quietly for a few moments, before answering the unspoken question "He was a _really_ old ghost, Kyo – I'm talking centuries! I don't know for sure, but he was saying some stuff… I think he was the first cat to get locked away by the head of the house – he just wanted to see it stop, wanted to see the cat walk free again…" Hazel eyes looked down at her shoes, fingers playing with the laces.

Kyo's brows furrowed slightly, but gave Shigure the answer he wanted – leaving out the other details. "And Eris says he's not the only one, either. There's a lot of ghosts, but they're all bound to the cat's house, and that he was the only one with enough power to travel that far and see the incident."

"Interesting… Oh yes, now I remember what I wanted to ask in the first place – if your friend here has been staying with us for so long, does she know why my internet download has been going so fast?"

A pause, then Kyo raised an eyebrow at the invisible girl, answered, "She says that she _may_ have been looking at web comics at one stage – and incidentally, your perverted stories disturb her."

* * *

Later that night, Kyo found himself lying on the roof, he and Eris not speaking, just enjoying a comfortable silence. Then, he sighed, "I'll have to go back to school tomorrow, won't I?" 

"Mmm? Yeah, I guess you will. Why are you complaining – I know you've been bored."

For a moment, it seemed as if Kyo wouldn't answer, "…Because Haru and Momiji will be there."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to see them… See the disgust – or fear – in their eyes. Because of what they saw, that I'm a monster."

It didn't matter who said otherwise, or how many times they disagreed, Kyo's belief that he was a monster had been too deeply ingrained to truly disappear, so Eris tried a different approach. "So is every other person in the world. Everybody hates at one stage, desires someone else to be hurt, or something similar – heck, even Tohru has or will do it at one stage! Its what's in people's hearts that matters. Everyone, human, cat or whatever else, we all look the same under the skin… We've all got darkness in us Kyo, we're just not in denial about it." She gave him a wide smile when he turned his head to give her an incredulous look, "I think that makes us just a little bit better than them, don't you think?"

Kyo tucked his arms behind his head, staring up at the stars for a moment, going over Eris' words in his head. Then he gave a wishful smile, "Yeah…"


	22. Dodging

**Chapter 22 **

TT: Well, I'm still not sure how Haru and Momiji are going to act when they next see Kyo face to face. All I know is that they're going to be frightened of whatever protector that Kyo evidently has, even if they never see her again. What does everyone else think?

Oh yeah, and what's everyone else's view on Kyo's Shishou – I don't think I've seen enough of him for a good interpretation, so I'm asking everyone else.

Read and Review, okay?

Sora – What song was this? I'd be interested in finding it and listening to it

Tally – Don't worry about it, we all have bursts of forgetfulness – I wrote this chapter twice because I forgot I'd already done it.

Kat - You're very welcome. I'm glad your friend likes it.

Elven Butterfly - I think that the ghost-cats can't move on so long as the head condemns the cat of the zodiac, but we'll have to see.

* * *

Eris had waited until Kyo had gone to sleep before she wandered back to the main house of the Sohma family. She hoped that she wasn't putting thoughts in Akito's head, but even if she was, hopefully she'd make her point so that he wouldn't carry them through.

Akito had been lying in a soft, large bed, surrounded by pillows and covered by layers of blankets. He hadn't felt as bad as he did in a long time - and damn that dragon for leaving him alone when he was like this!

So the monster had an ally -a ghost, of all things! Odd, he didn't recall ever being informed that Sohma cats had _that_ ability - it would seem that the monsters had been keeping secrets from everyone…

Akito felt the apprehension - he refused to believe it could be fear! - rising up imside of him again. A ghost… how did one defeat what was already dead? Her words had hit home hard - he was going to die one day, and she was waiting for him, becoming evermore powerful…

Akito sneezed, and sniffed irritably, reaching a hand out of the blankets towards the tissue box beside him.

The temperature of the room suddenly dropped half a dozen degrees. Akito froze, but saw no one. There was a slight scratching on the ground, and then nothing again.

Warily, he strained his worn body to sit up slightly, leaning on the pillows, and strained his neck to look down at the floor. He reached out to turn on a bedside light.

A piece of white chalk lay beside a message, written in large letters on the floor, in the messy scrawl of a teenager.

'DON'T EVEN **THINK** ABOUT IT!'

Then, just underneath, in smaller writing. 'Kyo matters most, but don't you dare take it out on someone else - because I have eyes everywhere.'

Then, on its own, the chalk moved. First, it simply rolled a little, then it was lifted up by an invisible hand, and an arrow was drawn beside the message, pointing towards Akito's window.

Almost obediently, the head of the Sohma family shifted his gaze towards the drawn curtains. Without a ripple, a cat walked between them - no, it walked _though_ them, because this transparent cat was the same one who had been watching just a few days prior. Its eyes met his gaze, staring unblinkingly back, and for some reason Akito felt apprehensive.

The chalk moved again, drawing his attention away from the cat. The cylinder-shaped object hovered in the air for a moment, before it was snapped in two.

The air began to warm again, but Akito knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. The girl might be gone, but he could still feel the ghost-cat watching him.

* * *

Kyo stopped for a moment outside the school building, staring up with an apprehension that he couldn't recall feeling before. Yuki and Tohru, who had been walking ahead of him, deep in conversation, hadn't noticed when he stopped, and walked inside.

A part of Kyo wanted nothing more than to just turn around and walk back the way he came – to see if he could find that tortoiseshell, Kit-Kat, that had been there with Eris in two significant events between the two, and sulk with the cat for the day. But before he could act on the whim, he found himself being pushed forward into the school by a pair of icy hands on his shoulders.

"I know you don't want to, but you can't just put it off, NeKyo."

"I could if you'd stop pushing!"

"It won't do any good Kyo, you know that."

Kyo lurched forward a little, away from Eris' insistent hands. "I'm going already, just stop shoving before you knock me over." Ignoring the way Eris gave him an encouraging smile, he pushed open the door, striding into the building.

And if Eris noticed that he deliberately avoided the area around Momiji and Haru's own homeroom, she didn't say anything.

* * *

Lunch found Kyo hiding out of the roof with Eris, hoping that everyone would get the hint that he wanted to be left alone. From where he sat, he could just make out Tohru and Yuki with her friends, eating outside so as to enjoy the warm weather. Then he spotted Momiji and Haru walking towards the group, and moved away from the edge of the roof to the other side.

Eris sighed, "Are you going to avoid them forever, NeKyo?"

"Yes."

"It won't work - especially considering how often they come over to see Tohru and Yuki."

"Well then, I'll just try to make sure that I avoid them for as long as possible."

"Isn't that kind of cowardly?"

"Not when I'm the one doing it."

"Ooooh, its one of those, is it?" She frowned suddenly, looking sulky, "And bunny-boy had lollies again, too!"

Kyo rolled his eyes, sitting down on the concrete roof, tucking one knee under his chin and wrapping his arms around it. In a violent fashion, he tore off a piece of the tuna sandwich he had in his hand, "I'll buy you some later, how about that?"

Eris grinned, and attempted to tackle-hug him, but instead fell through him and off the roof. She didn't seem to notice, instead hovering in midair with a grin, "You're the best, NeKyo!"

"Yeah, yeah – if I didn't say that, you'd go down there so you could steal Momiji's food, and that would cause all kinds of trouble."

Eris grinned, mischievous and slightly dark, rubbing her hands together as if plotting, "You know me so well." This was finished with a, perhaps slightly overdramatic, evil laugh.

Shooting her an irritated look – though he was grateful that Eris knew when to change the subject – Kyo shook his head. "Whenever you get that gleam in your eye, it means that something bad it going to happen to someone because of us – usually Yuki."

"Whaaat? You're complaining? Should we go for Tohru instead?"

"Don't you dare!" Anything else Kyo said was drowned out by the sound of the school bell. Kyo groaned, "And back to the torture…" He sighed and got to his feet, not having to look back to know Eris was following him. "Lets go see Shishou after school today… Let's hope Kagura isn't there, because I really want to introduce him to you."

Eris smiled; a soft emotional smile that could convey more than an eternity of words could, if one chose to find them, "I'll see about the chalk/pen trick, will I?"

The half-smile, half-smirk that Kyo gave her in return, as he sat down in his seat, was all the answer Eris needed.

* * *

After school, Haru frowned slightly in mild frustration – he hadn't expected anything less than for Kyo to avoid him and Momiji so utterly all day, but it was still irritating. The ox didn't know for certain if he wanted to see Kyo or not, he felt apprehensive after what had happened a few brief days ago, but the confrontation was _needed_, for everyone.

And he wasn't sure how long he could keep up the nerve.


	23. Introductions

**Chapter 23 **

TT: Hey guys, thanks for your advice with Kazuma (aka - Shishou), I used your advice to help with my own interpretation of him to write his part. Especially SillyLittleNothing, you helped confirmed my own impressions, which was really helpful for me.

I'm glad you all liked Eris' little visit to Akito – she's just making sure he gets the message. I think that he might've gotten the hint, but we'll have to see when he gets better.

Windchaser – It should come in next chapter, if I can work out what to write.

Sora – Haven't found the anime in Australia – I've read the manga.

Now… What are you expecting/want with the confrontation between Kyo and Haru?

* * *

Kyo was swinging his bag over his back at the end of the school day, edger to leave, when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned his head slightly, to find the nearly expressionless face of Tohru's friend Hana.

"Kyo, I need to speak with you for a moment." Kyo looked confused, and reluctant to go anywhere with the girl, but followed her back into the empty classroom out of curiosity - he was the cat after all!

For a moment, neither spoke, and Kyo sighed in frustration, "Yeah, what is it?"

Hana paused for a moment longer, as if trying to work out how to tell him something, "Kyo, you're being haunted."

Kyo blinked, "_What!_"

"For months now, I've been hearing strange, faint thoughts, but I only worked out that they were the thoughts of a ghost recently - then I worked out that those thoughts always came from near you; a ghost is haunting you."

Kyo didn't say anything, instead he looked at the wall beside him, or that was what Hana saw. In reality he was looking at Eris, who looked just as stunned as him.

Hana took his silence as a 'go ahead' to continue, "Usually, when a ghost haunts a person, they're said to have ill-intent. You could be in danger, even if you don't believe in ghosts. I… I could attempt an exorcism, if you wish, but I must admit that I've never performed one before."

Kyo looked angry and insulted, "Eris wouldn't hurt me!"

Hana's eyes widened with surprise, "Then… you know about the ghost - this Eris?"

Kyo hesitated, no matter what he said he was already over his head, "She's a friend, now keep quiet about it!"

Hana looked thoughtful, but nodded, "Alright. But if you change your mind about attempting that exorcism…"

Kyo turned away from her, walking back towards the door, "Yeah, yeah, like that's going to happen."

Hana wondered why she felt as if she'd missed out on a very important chapter of the unfolding story.

* * *

"Exorcism! She wanted to use me as her test subject for an exorcism! NeKyo - everyone wants to kill me!"

Kyo glanced at her briefly was they approached his Shishou's home, "How can they? You're already dead!"

"You know what I mean!"

Kyo didn't answer her, instead opening the door to the familiar home of his Shishou. He paused suddenly, and sniffed the air, "He's burnt something again!"

"You should get him a recipe for Caesar Salad and be done with it, Kyo. Hey! Wait up!" The ghost followed the dashing cat, oblivious to the fact that walls kept getting in her way.

Kyo found Shishou scrubbing the bottom of a burnt saucepan in the kitchen sink. The older man looked up when he burst him, looking surprised, but then smiled.

"Kyo, I didn't expect to see you here today. And before you ask, I had another attempt at cooking rice, but got… distracted looking for a rice flavoring packet."

The cat rolled his eyes, and muttered something along the lines of 'You'd think he'd have learnt by now'.

Shishou placed the saucepan to the side, turning to look at the orange-haired teenager, grabbing the tea towel that was on the bench and drying his hands, "Now then, what did you come to see me for?" He smiled warmly at the boy in front of him.

Kyo fidgeted, looking at the ground, the wall, anywhere but his teacher, "I… wanted to introduce you to someone…" he muttered, as if feeling very silly about the entire thing. Abruptly, he took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his schoolbag, placing them on the bench closest to him, "I know you can't see her, but… Well, this is Eris." He waved a hand at the empty space between him and the bench helplessly.

Shishou raised an eyebrow, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the pencil suddenly rose into the air by itself. As if being held by an invisible hand, the point was placed on the paper and, in a handwriting style much similar to the ones his grandparents had used, the word 'Hello!' was written, before being followed by a smilie face. The simply phrase seemed to radiate with the writer's playful attitude.

Kyo shrugged when Shishou turned back to look at him, "Her name's Eris, she's a really good friend of mine – but she's also happens to be a ghost, and she's been dead for at least a few decades, maybe longer." He smirked suddenly, "She's the one who threatened Akito!"

Shishou stared at Kyo in surprise for a moment, before going back to stare at the floating pencil, stunned, "She did? …So, I take it she's the one who's been causing the strange changes in you?"

Kyo blinked, looking confused, "Eh, what changes? What are you talking about?"

Shishou shook his head, "No, never mind." He looked back at where the pencil continued to hover. "Well, Eris… It's nice to meet you, I think…" And, feeling very foolish, held out a hand.

He didn't see anything but the pencil be placed back down on the bench, before there was a sudden chill that grasped his hand, and he wondered if Eris was smiling.

* * *

It was already dark by the time Kyo left Shishou's home, having found himself forced to into detail about how he'd met Eris (and then given a lecture for having skipped school), as well as his own explanation for what had happened with Akito just recently.

"I like him, Kyo!"

Kyo smiled at Eris, "You do?" The was a tiny note of hopefulness in his voice.

"Yeah! He was willing to shake my hand when he didn't even know if I was there for sure!"

"I'm pretty sure he'd already got a hint with the floating pencil."

Eris seemed to consider this for a moment, before shrugging, "Meh."

"I thought you'd said you wouldn't have the power to do that sort of thing for a few months, like before?"

"That was when I only had you to draw off - the pervert-dog, your Shishou, probably the girly-snake - I can draw of them, too. Because they, well, believe – sorta – that's something like the first step to acknowledging."

"Where'd you come up with the theory, in the first place?"

"What can I say? Being dead left me with a lot of spare time – Went to these chemistry lessons at a university for a few years for the same reason."

"You _did_?"

"Sure! Got a free education – just kept going to my old school for a little while, then once I'd gotten everything, I just headed over to the university that was down the street. 'Course, I've forgotten everything now."

"And I suppose you learnt how to drive, too…"

"Oh, I already knew how to do that – just didn't have a license. Actually, I had a few years to wait, Loki taught me early…"

Kyo didn't say anything after that – the expression on Eris' face said volumes, and there was never going to be enough comfort in words to make him speak just then.

"Hey, NeKyo, look ahead!"

Kyo looked over at where Eris was pointing, and then froze in place, his red eyes widened slightly, a familiar teenager who had been wandering down the path looking lost, stopped and met his gaze with one of his own.

Haru…


	24. Conversations

**Chapter 24 **

TT: And yet another chapter for the viewers – don't you all love me?

Eris: …TT's a review-addict.

Kyo::_snorts_: we already knew that!

TT: ANYway, I don't know when the next chapter will be up, because I'm not quite sure what will happen next in the story… Hey, what do people want to happen?

But what I really wanted to announce was that, while I won't be updating in the next week, come next Sunday I'll be posting a one-shot separately as a Christmas Special! For all those Christmassy cute bits I want to see happen but won't be in the story. Hope to see everyone reading it.

Karlis – its not, really, Kyo's just freaked out over the fact that everyone in the family whose even remotely accepted him has now seen what a 'monster' he is. Bad Kyo, stop insulting yourself, or Eris will give you a brain freeze every time you do!

Alex – I'm not much of an artist myself – much to my chagrin – so I haven't done anything like that based on this story. However, if you want to, I'd love to see it!

DragonLady – Shishou, real name Kazuma, the Sohma-born martial arts master that adopted Kyo and whose grandfather had been the previous cat. Shishou's what Kyo calls him in the manga (but no one else does P)

* * *

Time seemed to freeze. For at least a minute, but seemed much longer, neither Kyo nor Haru could bring themselves to move. Neither of them blinked, as if that would give the other the opportunity to do something they didn't want to happen.

Eris looked back and forth between two living teens several times before she let out a sigh of frustration, throwing her arms up in the air and waving them around, "Do something already!" Naturally, Haru didn't notice her, and Kyo was too used to Eris' antics to react – causing the ghost to growl with impatience.

Then Haru moved, slowly as if afraid of scary Kyo off (which was entirely possible), crossing the road and walking closer and until he was standing less than a meter in front of the shorter teenager.

Instincts made Kyo tense to run, but his pride made him stay put, never breaking Haru's gaze.

When Haru had thought about talking to Kyo that day, he had felt apprehensive, both because what he'd seen Kyo change into – the cat's fabled 'true form', no doubt – but also because of the mysterious entity that had defended him. He didn't know what that ice-maiden was supposed to be, if it was under Kyo's control, or something entirely different.

But now… Now, under the streetlights with the last rays of the sun finally fading, Haru didn't understand why he'd been afraid. The street was quiet, there was no oppressing presence of that ice-maiden, and Kyo was simply his cousin, just as unsure of what to say as him. And Kyo was more stubborn about these things, which meant that Haru had to break the silence.

Haru's gaze was indifferent as he spoke – words that both he and Kyo didn't want to be admitted, but were needed, "We need to talk."

Kyo nodded, before finally breaking away from Haru's gaze to look around. He nodded over at a bench, almost conveniently located not far from them. Without a word, the two walked over and sat down, Eris choosing to lean on the back of the bench from behind. Kyo fidgeted for a moment, impatiently waiting for the silence to break for a second before snapping, "Well?"

"Who was that… well, the one in the frost and ice?" May as well get the biggest question over with first.

Kyo tilted his head back to look at the ghost, "Her name's Eris."

Haru blinked, before speaking, his voice flat, "Eris?"

"That's what I said, isn't it! …She's a friend of mine – she's a ghost."

"A ghost?" Haru raised an eyebrow. Before opening his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"If you even dare say that ghosts don't exist, I'll hit you so hard you won't be able to get your head out of the hole in the ground for a year! The last thing I want if for her to start crying again because you make her question her existence – it took enough time to calm her down after Hatori said that."

"Hatori knows about it – her?" Haru quickly amended himself when Kyo gave him a fierce glare, apparently this 'Eris' wasn't the only one of the two who could be protective. "Who else?"

Kyo seemed to think about it for a moment, looking back at Eris, who was ticking people off on her fingers, before answer, "Hatori and Shigure – he was there when I answered Hatori's questions. Probably Ayame as well, knowing that damn dog. I don't know who else, but Eris says she's positive Akito's worked it out – why she won't tell me." His red eyes narrowed in suspicion at the ghost.

Haru jerked upright, looking around, "She's here!"

"She follows me around a lot, but that time with Akito's the only time anyone else has seen her." The cat shrugged as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world – for him it almost was.

Haru didn't answer, and Kyo didn't say anything more. Actually, Haru suspected that Kyo was listening to something this 'Eris' was saying, judging by the attentive expression he was giving midair. Haru couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Kyo give so much interest into what someone was saying, apart from their martial arts master.

Haru was suddenly aware that Kyo had said something, and snapped out of his thoughts, "What?"

Kyo rolled his eyes for a moment, "Eris thinks you're scared of her." His expression bordered on amused.

"I –" Haru paused, not willing to deny the truth, and instead shrugged lightly, letting the motion speak for itself.

Kyo snorted with barely contained laughter. The thought of Eris – playful, mischievous, _harmless_ Eris scaring anyone seemed so impossible. But then he remembered the ferocity with which she'd defended him, what she'd done to Akito, and the power she'd wielded – power she'd gotten from _him_ – and it didn't seem quite so unbelievable. Just. "You wouldn't say that if you'd seen her impersonation of Shakespeare's characters in English a few months back." Even now, the memory made Kyo's lips twitch into a smile. Eris stuck her tongue out at the cat.

There was a long pause of silence, and Kyo's body tensed; Eris' presence had been explained, but that was only half to issue. Now, now it was too late to run, he had to stay and deal with the second half of the issue, the half he was loathing most of all.

The cat's true form…

Haru seemed to know that Kyo wasn't going to bring up that, and so carefully considered what to say before breaking the silence. "You know, Akito talked about what a monster the cat's true form was several times, at the New Year's feast… He exaggerated – he always made it sound worse than it was."

Kyo had at what Haru had said, and remained that way. He went over what Haru said in his head a few times quickly, before scowling at the ground, "You didn't get a good look." He winched slightly Eris attempted to hit Kyo over the head, her hand going through him and giving him a sudden headache.

Haru shrugged indifferently, "Believe what you want. But now that that's sorted out… Which way is it to the main house?"

Kyo sighed with impatience, "Come on, I'll take you." He was already on his feet again when he muttered, "Dumb ox."

* * *

Kyo led Haru to the gates of the main house, before turning away to leave again.

"See you tomorrow, then?"

Kyo glanced back at Haru, "No, I plan to skip and feature on Jerry Springer's – 'my best friend is a ghost'." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Haru looked thoughtful, "Is that something you picked up from 'Eris'?"

"What are you talking about?" Without waiting for an answer, Kyo turned away again. He took three steps before Haru called out to him once more.

Haru paused, "There's just one more thing…"

Kyo glanced back irritably, "Yeah, what!"

"How come _you_ can see the ghost?"

For a moment, Kyo didn't answer, then he smirked, "Simple, you dumb ox; everyone knows – cats can see ghosts."

"I didn't know that… Can you see fairies too?"

Kyo gave Haru a flat look, before turning away and walked back towards Shigure's. Haru just caught the cat grumble, "Idiot cow."


	25. Waiting

**Chapter 25 **

TT: Hey, everyone – I hope you had a happy Christmas. Now, we've got a new year started, so I'm starting by updating in an attempt to appease you all – I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, both this and my Christmas special – I'm glad you liked it.

Tohru-kun09 – I'll do my best to fit her in.

Karen – I feel the same way, I wasn't looking forward to Eris being revelaed, but the rest of the Sohma had to learn about her eventually – the reason no one ever knew the cat could see ghosts before was because the cat never got any closer to the dead than the living.

DragonLady - …You're better now though, right?

Hippo Thief – A bang and boom? Uhh… scratches head I'll try?

Funny little request to any artists out there (because my own meager skills can't do Kyo justice) – Anyone who _wants_ to do a picture of the photo in this chapter, I'd really love to see how it comes out!

* * *

Kyo woke up early the a few days later, with the strangest feeling that someone or something had woken him, though for the life of him he couldn't have said what. For a moment he was still, before he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, watching the colours of the early morning light flitter across it.

Finally, he sat up, giving the empty room a quick glance over. His eyes rested on a framed photograph, sitting proudly on his bedside table. His legs slid off the edge of the bed as he reached over to grab it, looking it over carefully with a half-smile.

Flashback

"Uh, um, Kyo?"

Said teen looked away from the stars, finding Tohru climbing the ladder onto the roof beside him. She held something – some sort of packet – to her chest, a strange expression on her face.

"Kyo, these are some photos I've taken, I had them developed, but…" She took one of the photos from the packet, and held it out for Kyo to take.

Kyo studied the picture for a moment, trying to determine what was wrong with it, other than he didn't recall it being taken – it was an image of him, sitting on the porch, one knee tucked under his chin and arms wrapped around it, the other leg hanging off the edge. One check leaned on the knee as he looked to the side, smirking as a half-laughing Eris attempted to tickle his face with the end of her brown ponytail.

Then he remembered – Eris was dead, she was a ghost, and as far as he knew, she wasn't supposed to be seen in photos any more than she did to most people.

Tohru pointed to Eris, "Who is this? I don't remember seeing her before."

Kyo didn't look away from the picture, he felt to chill of Eris' fingers on his shoulder as she leaned over him to look at it as he answered, "She's a friend – a good friend, and I'd like to introduce you to her someday; just not now." He paused, "Can I keep this?"

"Uh – Oh! Of course, Kyo, if you want – I'll give you the negative sometime, too, if you want."

Kyo looked up at Tohru, smiling, "Thanks." He got to his feet, "I'm going to put this somewhere safe now, alright?"

It was only a month later, when Shigure had boredly wandered into Kyo's room while the cat was a school, that he spotted a photo in a frame, sitting proudly on top of bedside table Kyo had. Wondering if he was in it, Shigure picked it up to study the framed photograph. There, in the center of the picture, was Kyo, sitting on his porch, but looking more open and content than Shigure could remember seeing him, and was even smiling at the mischief of the strange, unknown girl that was next to him in the picture.

Shigure frowned in confusion, and turned the frame around. A piece of paper had been taped roughly to the back, with two different sets of handwriting on it. The first, which he recognized as Kyo's, had written a date (from several months ago), and the small phrase '_Me and Eris_'. The second handwriting, just a little bit neater, and written in the same handwriting style that Shigure's grandparents had once had, had crossed out the word '_Me'_ on Kyo's note, and replaced it with a single word – '_NeKyo_'.

Shigure flipped the framed photo over again. For a moment, the girl – the fabled Eris, he assumed – almost seemed transparent in the picture, but only for a single moment - causing Shigure dismissed it as a trick of the light.

End Flashback

It was with the utmost care that Kyo placed the photo back on the table – Tohru had been, hesitantly, introduced to Eris, but the girl seemed wary of the thought of a ghost, even with the reassurance that this particular spirit was anything but scary (Kyo pointedly refrained from mentioning the incident with Akito). Eris, for her part, tried to avoid doing anything to scare the girl, acting around the living girl the same way she had when Kyo had been the only one aware of her. It was one of the almost-sacrificing acts of keeping peace that Kyo was grateful to the specter for.

Speaking of which… Kyo glanced around the room again – Eris wasn't there. Curious, Kyo got off the bed and left the room, wandering downstairs.

The house was quiet – no one was up yet, but that was common Kyo was usually the first up, followed by Tohru. Eris didn't count, she didn't sleep.

Kyo found Eris in the living room, lying upsidedown on the couch, feet in the air and head over the edge, watching the TV. The fact that all that was on was early-morning news appeared to be irrelevant.

Kyo sat down next to her, and changed the channel.

"Nekyo! I was watching that."

"You weren't even paying attention to what was on, were you?"

"I was to! It was the weather."

"The weather finished ten minutes ago – the sport was on."

"… Well in that case, thanks for saving me the effort…"

"What are you doing down here, anyway?"

Eris was silent for a minute longer, then sank through the couch, instead lying flat on the ground, looking up at the cat, "Do you remember Kyoko?"

"Tohru's mother? What about her – I think she was in here last night, but it was pretty late and it might have been a dream."

"No, she was here – She… She moved on."

Kyo stared at her, not certain if he'd heard the ghost right, "What?"

"Kyoko, she moved on – she came to see Tohru again, really quick. She came – I wondered into the room about 3 minutes after she appeared – then kissed her on the forehead. Then she sorta hesitated, like she was about to back out. But then gave me this weird nod, and just… left, I guess. She moved on, she's not here anymore – not a ghost."

Kyo leaned back heavily on the couch, "She's been ready to move on for a while, we both knew that, she just kept hesitating – I suppose it was about time she let go." He looked down at the ghost near his feet, "So what are you really thinking about – she's not the only ghost you've watched move on."

"I was just thinking – Kyoko's only been dead a few years. But I've been dead a really long time – so how come I've never moved on? I know there's a level of control to when you do, but before we became friends, I don't see why I was still here."

Kyo felt like someone had put a frozen lead ball in his stomach, "You… want to move on?" Shewanted to_ leave him alone_?

Eris waved her hands frantically, "No, no! Not now – just, before, way before, like when it suddenly hit me that everyone I'd ever known had died and moved on, and I just wanted to go to, but I never could. You know, they say a ghost can't move on while they still have something left unfurfilled, and I never thought that I had any reason to stay. I don't want to leave you NeKyo, I was just remembering."

Kyo calmed down at the ghost's sincerity. It almost worried him, how dependant he'd become on her friendship.

Eris suddenly smiled at him, hazel eyes meeting red, "Hey, NeKyo, I think I know why I could never move on before. Can't just go and leave my best bud behind now, can I?"

Kyo blinked and looked down at the ghost, "What?"

Eris' smile became a mischievous smirk, "I have to wait for you."


	26. Summarizing

**Chapter 26 **

**TT**: Hey all, here's yet another chapter for you to enjoy… Its just occurred to me, that I've got the epilogue all planned out, but I don't want to write it up – I never want to finish this story! Never-ever-ever! (Because, due to the epilogue design, it would be nearly impossible to do a sequel). Guess I'll just need to keep thinking up more and more ideas, to put it off for as long as possible.

**Kyo** I'm never going to get away from her, am I?

**TT:** Anyway, I realize in the last chapter, some people mistook Kyo and Eris' relationship to have taken a more romantic turn – while you can imagine a romance between them all you want, there is actually no romantic elements to their friendship. It was more supposed to emphasize how close they are _as friends_.

Klove – oO No! Nononononononono! Kyo's not going to die, Eris was just being whimsical, weren't you?

**Eris:** Uh, well… Hey look, a distraction!

Karen – Charlie and the chocolate factory reference! P

Sonya – Thank you very much! Your praise is going to give me a big head about myself, you know that?

Karlis – The way I see it, his personality change has been going on ever since they met – that's a long time for him to change.

DragonLady – the photo was most-likely taken just a few days before Eris met Akito for the first time, when she was at the peak of her power.

* * *

Kyo realized, thinking back, that he should have only been mildly surprised when Momiji bounced up to him in the middle of the street a few weeks later, and loudly complain that the cat hadn't personally introduced him to Eris before. Apparently, the rabbit – along with most of the other zodiac – had heard about the ghost from either the (skeptical) Hatori, or Haru. It had simply taken them time to get used to the idea.

The fact that his cousin was apparently going around befriending dead people didn't seem to worry the rabbit, so much as the fact he hadn't met her yet.

So, Kyo had rolled his eyes, and waved to the space at his left where Eris was, letting out a sarcastic, "Momiji, this is Eris. Eris, this is Momiji – the one who you keep stealing sugary things from during lunch at school." And then, before Momiji could asked anything about the last part, explained that they had to go. The pair hid from the rabbit at the movies for three hours, before finally deciding that it was so late that Momiji wouldn't be there, and deciding the head home.

* * *

"There, you see? You'd been stressing over nothing!"

Kyo glared at Eris, "It was not over nothing, and before you start – I am not self-conscious!"

"Uh huh, suuuurrreee you aren't. I believe you, really." Kyo scowled at her sarcastic tone. For the rest of the trip home, there was absolute silence.

It was as they were approaching the house that Eris spoke again, "Say Kyo?"

Kyo let out an 'Mmm?' sound to show he was listening.

"Do you regret telling people about me? I mean, all the other cat's kept the fact they can see the dead a secret – do you wish you had as well?"

Kyo stopped walking, and was silent for a moment, causing Eris to grow anxious. Her nerves were quelled, however, with his answer, "No. The other cat's could see ghosts, but they didn't befriend them, which was why no one ever knew." He looked Eris in the eye, and smirked, "If the choice was between having you as a friend, and having kept this a secret from Akito, it'd admit you exist a thousand times over, just to see you threaten him again!"

Eris smiled softly, the expression different from her usual bright grin, "…I'm not going to let Akito cage you, Kyo – I promise. And don't even think about saying 'don't make promises you can't keep', because I will keep it!"

Kyo looked slightly startled by the ferocity of Eris' statement, "Where'd this come from?" He paused for a split second before shaking his head, "On second thoughts, I don't want to know how your mind works – just watching is scary enough."

Eris shoved Kyo playfully towards the door, "Now go make sure that the dog-pervert hasn't gotten Hana to try that exorcism!"

Kyo stumbled, but caught his balance. He shot Eris a nasty look, "You were a less demanding friend when no one else knew about you, do you know that?"

Eris shrugged in a fashion that Kyo identified as 'I know – Na-na!', along with mentally her sticking her tongue out. His glare was ignored as the two approached the house.

Shigure was in the dining room, drinking a cup of tea over a book that Kyo didn't even want to contemplate was about. "You're back late, Kyo. Did you have a romantic tryst with a young flower, hmm?" The dog leered.

Kyo glared and threw his schoolbag at him, "Shut up, you stupid pervert… What are you doing up, anyway?"

Shigure grinned, as if to say 'I'm glad you asked', "Why, don't all writer's keep strange hours? Besides – I just couldn't put the book down!"

Curiously, Eris floated over and read a few lines of the story. She blanched, and quickly followed Kyo towards the stairs.

The cat tilted his head, listening to her, and then called back down at Shigure – "Eris says that you need a new hobby. Badly."

Shigure sighed, "Ah, everybody's a critic."

* * *

Weeks past easily, and those at Shigure's home received several reports that Akito was recovering. Along with truth of Momiji's earlier claim - the zodiac, the truth that Kyo had befriended a ghost spread like wildfire. This particular fact was confirmed when Kagura confronted the cat about Eris, using her fists.

Kyo felt disappointed, now that everyone knew about Eris. Perhaps it was years of rejection, but he felt as if that, now that he wasn't the only one who acknowledged her, Eris would rather befriend his cousins that him. Eris managed to knock the idea out of his head eventually, after proclaiming many times that he was a complete and utter idiot, and continuing to remain his eternal shadow. His relationship with the ghost hadn't changed, they were still as close as ever, but it was no longer a warm little secret in the back of his mind.

Of course, her presence still seemed to fill that criteria.

Kyo found himself surprisingly content – no one seemed to mind the long periods of 'solitude' anymore, and it was easier to have conversations with Eris around the others – the pair enjoyed watching the expressions people took on when they did so. Occasionally, Kyo would be asked to relay a question to Eris, but the ghost's fast tongue seemed to make everyone else nervous to how she would reply.

After the 'incident' with Akito, the head had been rather quiet, and it seemed that all of the Sohma Zodiac were enjoying the calm.

In fact, the one thing that truly seemed to bother people – mainly Yuki in particular – was that Kyo and Eris' infamous pranks continued. It seemed to be that, whenever Eris was bored, Yuki would find himself suffering in one way or another. Whenever he got on Kyo's nerves just a little too much, the rat would undeniably know it. And whenever it was raining, well, Yuki seemed afraid to leave his room. And there was little he could do about it – attacking Kyo for it would lead to repercussions, and an all out prank-war would result – and Eris was impossible to intimidate. Nor was anyone truly inclined to help him, they wished to stay off Eris' 'prank list'.

Hana hadn't said anything more over the fact that Kyo was being haunted, though she did ask about what ghosts looked like once or twice, when Tohru and 'the Yankee' weren't within hearing range. In fact, the only real sign she gave of having remembered the conversation was the way she'd occasionally glance over in his direction during class, and stare at the air above his head, usually when Eris made some particularly strange comment.

Kyo didn't mind the sideward glances at Hana and his family would occasionally send his way, usually when a glass fell by accident (Eris had only done that one, and that was a long time ago). In fact, he hardly seemed aware of them, he was busier with trying to keep random cats off his books when he and Eris went over the maths in frustration.

He just wished that Shigure would take Eris' 'hints', and stop calling him 'NeKyo'…


	27. Cats

**Chapter 27 **

W00t! 300 reviews! I _love_ and _adore_ you lovely people who take the time to write comments! XD 300!

Tohru-Kun09 asked for me to put Kisa in the story way back at chapter 24, so I thought about the best way to do that, and came up with this – ask, and you shall receive; hope you like it, Tohru-Kun.

Karlis – I think everyone should feel sorry for Yuki – I bet Eris can pull some really nasty pranks when she wants to.

ShadoWalker – It's been a quiet couple of weeks for them, in which the main events were summarized. Reality is, even anime characters have times of peace and quiet. Its been more the time when everyone adapts their routine to having Eris in them.

Karen – Yes, writing is one of my greatest pleasures. However, its taken me many, many years and a lot of effort to reach the level of story-telling I have to achieved – and I'm still learning! Don't put yourself down; just keep working at it. (No author thinks much of their own work; I don't think my stories are anything special)

RonHarryHermioneFanatic – Aww, thanks. If your dad doesn't let you scan, don't worry about it. If he does, send me a link or something, I'd love to see your take.

Tohru-kun09 – Thank you! I try to work hard at characterization, because it's a very difficult area; it's nice to know that I'm doing well.

DragonLady – **Eris:** Me, wreak havoc? Would _I_ do that! Never! …but next time she comes over, she better watch where she puts her shoes – I've got a cornflour mix for the occasion.

Dark Inu – I feel a bit sorry for him too, to tell the truth. Eris' pranks are harmless, and she knows not to go to far – the problem is that there's no breathing space between pranks.

* * *

"There, you see? Oogenesis _is_ a word! Oh, and don't forget that the 'g' is on a triple-letter thing-y." 

"You rigged the dictionary, didn't you?"

"…Kyo, it's the dictionary, how the heck do you rig a dictionary?"

"I don't know – you just did."

"A sigh, and Eris rolled her eyes, her voice going dry, "Yes, Kyo, I rigged the dictionary - "

"Hah! I knew you'd been cheating!"

" – And the cards, and the chess set, and the checkers, and every other board game we've played, and the horse races on TV – oh, and while we're at it, let's not forget the tables at Vegas!"

"…Shut up, and stop winning."

"No, I like winning!" Eris stuck her tongue out at Kyo, collecting more scrabble pieces.

It was at that moment that their discussion over their game of scrabble was interrupted; by Tohru's voice suddenly crying "Kisa!" out in delight. The pair looked towards the door as, moments later, Tohru and the younger Sohma walked through.

Kisa paused at the sight of, what seemed to be, Kyo sitting in front of a scrabble board, dictionary at his elbow, playing against himself… and losing. The cat watched her and Tohru for a moment, before turning back to the board, muttering something under his breath that sounded like 'cheater' and put some letters on the board. Kisa's eyes widened when a pencil suddenly hovered in the air, and began to write the points into a tally without any visible help.

Tohru took Kisa's hand in her own, and quietly lead the staring girl past Kyo – the older girl always found herself the slightest bit apprehensive when Eris did things like that, though she was sure Eris herself was quite nice. It was simply that floating objects and the like were things of horror stories and the nightmares said horror stories induced.

That was Kisa's first experience with, as some of the Sohma's had started calling it, 'The cat's ghost'.

* * *

Later that day, Kisa sat outside, her feet dangling over the edge of the porch, as Tohru made lunch inside. The tiger had decided that it would be best to give her adopted older sister room to work until she was finished – maybe she'd help set the table later. 

She was still on this line of thoughts when she heard a sound. Someone was humming a song she didn't know. Slowly, she began to turn her head to look.

The first thing she spotted was the pair of white-and-purple sneakers on the feet that swung back and forth beside her own, in time with the beat of the strange song. Kisa looked up; to see the face of a girl she didn't know, looking up at the sky, leaning back on her arms, sitting beside her. Her eyes looked hazel, her brown hair was tied, looking up at the sky.

As if sensing Kisa's surprised and weary gaze, the humming stopped, and the older girl looked over at Kisa. She stared at her for a moment, head tilted slightly to the side, as the pair observed one another. Then the strange girl smiled, her eyes half-closing in the process, before she got up and walked out of Kisa's vision.

Head turning sharply, the tiger looked in the direction the girl had gone, only to find no one was there.

* * *

Kisa didn't mention the girl – it seemed silly, once she thought about it a mere half-hour later. How did she know that she simply hadn't imagined the whole thing, after all? Alright, so it seemed unlikely that she'd imagined it, but what else could it be? 

Kisa spent the rest of the day with the girl she thought of as an older sister; they watched a video Kisa had brought (and already watched with Hiro). Then they played several board games, that were near the front of the cupboard they'd been placed in – Tohru said that Kyo had played several of them with Eris recently – before, finally, Tohru made dinner with Kisa's help.

It was during dinner that Kisa really admitted to herself that the strange girl she'd seen was anything other than a mere figmant of her imagination – because, during dinner, though she couldn't see the source, Kisa heard a girl's voice humming the same, unknown song…

* * *

It was nearly dusk when it was finally decided that Kisa should go home. As Yuki had just left to take Tohru to her job, and Shigure had – conveniently – disappeared, that left Kyo with the job of escorting the tiger. 

Once, Kisa suspected Kyo would have exploded about being forced to do anything, and yelled a few very choice words (that, her mother had once informed her quiet firmly, she wasn't supposed to use) about their missing cousins. Now, however, when Kyo worked out that he was the only one left to take her, he simply sighed, muttered something under his breath Kisa didn't catch, and grab his jacket.

Though Kyo had grown calmer, Kisa still felt nervous around the orange-haired teen. He had always seemed so angry at the world, and, well, he was the cat – how often had she been told he was a monster, like the ones she used to think hide under her bed?

So the pair walked in silence until they reached the edge of the Sohma estate – where Kyo was forbidden to go. Kyo moved to leave, but then stopped, and looked as if he was listening to someone. He gave the thin air a look, and rolled his eyes, turning back to her.

"Kisa." He waited until he had her attention before speaking, "Eris wants me to tell you for her – tigers are cats too."

And with those parting words, the older teen walked off. But someone stayed. The same brown-haired girl she'd that day, dressed in her black jacket and pants, standing a few feet away from the smaller girl, watching her.

For a second neither moved. Then the older girl grinned, and waved at Kisa, before turning on a heel and sprinting to catch up with Kyo.

And, before Kisa's eyes, Eris – she was sure that's who the other girl was – faded away into nothing, just as she reached Kisa's orange-haired cousin.


	28. Driving

**Chapter 28 **

Hey everyone, I'm glad that people liked the last chapter – I was pretty happy with how it came out, myself.

Kisa only sees Eris sometimes because Kisa's a tiger and not a cat-cat; but I suspect that Kyo also has just a _little_ bit of psychic in him – so little Eris can't tell – think of it as a part of the deal of being the cat (so basically, Kisa's not as powerful). Shh, don't tell them that!

Here's a 'fun' chapter for everyone, designed to make you smile a little in places. This is based remotely on my own experience of learning to drive. There was a time when I thought the clutch would never like me.

Wow, it feels like I got a lot of reviews for my last chapter – guess you liked having Kisa there as much as me!

Klove – Reality is, it's a ghost story. Not the usual kind of ghost story, but still a ghost story; they'll always end up being a few spooky bits. They're actually pretty fun to write!

NarutoFreak – I don't think they'll be a climax point for a little while yet, for two reasons: one, because the fact that Eris has been discovered has left everyone else at a standstill for anything involving Kyo, and two: The only climax point I have in my head at my moment comes near very end of the story, and so help me, I don't wanna end it!

Karlis – see up the top

Tohru-kun09 – I'm happy you like how it turned out (I live to please :D)! Thanks for the awesome idea you inevitably gave me – I'm glad I wrote Kisa in.

Karen – I'd like to see the two develop a sweet lil' bond too – I have an idea that this may occur to some small degree, but no promises yet.

ShadoWalker – like Karlis, see above.

Kat – Possibly. I've an idea _sort of_ linked to Kyo teaching Kisa about interacting with ghosts, but no promises yet.

Hippo Thief – Don't worry – Eris doesn't have much patience for spoilt brats, if you know what I mean.

* * *

Be flung forward and then back. Curse and glare. Repeat. Forward, back, curse, glare. Repeat.

Eris sat quietly behind the cat and Yuki's brother as Kyo twisted the ignition key again, gritting his teeth to Ayame's attempt at a reassuring comment.

Why was Kyo sitting in the driver's seat of Ayame's car, with the snake beside him, and keys in his hand? It was simple –

Both Yuki and Kyo were learning to drive. Normally there was no way in the world the Head would allow the _cat_ to learn such a skill, but Akito had been very quiet ever since that incident a few months back.

Or, they would. Just as soon as the both of them stopped stalling the engine. Kyo suspected that Hatori had made sure he had an unbelievably large load of patients that day deliberately, to get out of this lesson. After all, the dragon had been suckered into taking Kagura out on a lesson last week. Ayame had jumped at the chance to bond with his brother like this; especially as Shigure had disappeared into his office, claiming that he needed to finish a manuscript that was only overdue by a fortnight.

Yuki had taken one look at his brother, and then calmly informed Kyo that he could go first.

Be flung forward, and then back. Wait as Kyo cursed and glared. Repeat.

Kyo turned his head to glare at his friend in the back seat, as if daring her to say something on his performance.

So she did, "Everyone's bad when they first start Kyo… But all the same, I'm glad I'm already dead."

Kyo gritted his teeth, "Shut up."

"Alright, but this time just release the footbrake push the accelerator down a bit _before_ you release the clutch – we're not on a hill, so you won't go backwards or anything if you do that."

Kyo blinked, "How do you know that?"

Eris grinned cheekily, "Loki decided that I should learn how to drive early – so he taught me a few things. And he was a heck of a lot a better teacher than Yuki's brother." Eris tossed her head towards Ayame, who's head was rabidly flicking back and forth between Kyo and the space in the back seat the cat was talking to, wearing an expression of slightly disturbed bemusement.

Kyo turned back to the steering wheel, turning the ignition key again. This time, he did as Eris suggested and slowly released the clutch last.

The car moved forward. And this time it didn't stall. Instead, it slowly moved down the road, and Kyo began to fumble with the gears under Ayame's attempt at instruction.

In the backseat, Eris watched quietly for a moment longer, before fading through the back of the moving vehicle, waving as it moved down the road. Kyo had enough trouble without her in the backseat.

"I wonder how I can convince the doctor-dragon/seahorse to just hire a professional driving teacher? Hmm…"

* * *

An hour later, the car returned and stopped roughly outside of Shigure's house. Eris watched as Kyo practically tore the car door open, and stormed up towards the roof in pure frustration. Eris turned to walk inside, through a wall, as Ayame gleefully announced that it was 'his dearest, darling little brother's turn'. Eris thought she heard the rat groan quietly as he walked past he, dragging his feet as if he were a man walking to his execution.

The ghost shrugged it off, instead walking into the kitchen where Tohru was beginning dinner (both Kyo and Yuki had flatly refused for either Shigure or Ayame to teach Tohru how to drive, and said that she could wait until Hatori was free). Eris waited for a moment as Tohru opened the fridge, before leaning through the living girl – an action that caused Tohru to squeal in both cold and a little fright - to grab the carton of milk, and carry it towards the roof.

Kyo glared up at the darkening sky, occasionally mumbling something about Ayame's own driving skills, his horrible directions and instructions, or how Hatori was a coward.

"Thirsty?" The cat looked to the side, to find Eris squatting next to him, holding out a carton of milk – the condensed water on the sides of the carton had turned to frost under Eris' icy touch.

The cat took the carton gratefully – Ayame's love of heat had left the car unbelievably stuffy – and tilted his head back to drink as Eris settled into her usual spot beside him. For a while, the only sound was Kyo downing the entire carton of milk.

"Kisa and the sheepy were planning to come over tomorrow, weren't they?"

Kyo made a sound of affirmination. Then, after a moment, he tilted his head back to look at her, "You really like her, don't you?"

Kyo watched as Eris grinned at him, almost reassuringly, "She's a little sweetie – come on, don't tell me she doesn't just act the part of a little sister around Torhu!"

"How would you know, you only had an older brother."

"Precisly! I was a little sister – and mum had all sorts of photo's on me acting like that with Loki."

"…Right…" His expression suddenly turned suspicious. "You're not going to scare Kisa like last week, are you? I thought she'd never come out from under Tohru's bed."

"I didn't mean to scare her! I just wanted a cookie…" Eris gave Kyo a tearful look, "How was I suppose to know that she'd be spooked at seeing me grab one, and then just see the cookie floating in mid-air?"

"Because she's Kisa?"

"I said I was sorry!"

Kyo rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

Another voice suddenly wafted down from the ground below, and the pair looked over the edge curiously.

Apparently, Yuki had just returned from his driving lesson – and slammed the front door in Ayame's face when he tried to follow the boy into the house.

Undeterred, the snake simply decided to shout instead – "Don't worry, dear little brother – with I as your teacher, you will become an expert in no time! I will make sure of it – in fact, I've already arranged for my assistant to manage the store the same time for the next eight weeks to do just that!"

As if this prospect was a good thing, the snake turned around and returned to his car – Kyo could have sworn the snake was dancing – before driving off. The pair on the roof watched as Ayame's vehicle swerved from one side of the road to the other until it disappeared from view.

Kyo turned to Eris, "if we can't get Hatori to take us on our next lesson, you are staying in the car. I need _someone_ apart from him, so you'll have to do."

Eris smirked, and threw an arm around Kyo's shoulders, "Ah, you know you love me. But all the same – let's talk to the doctor-dragon/seahorse guy – even a driving instructor's got to be better than the weird albino snakey."


	29. Anniversary

**Chapter 29 **

**TT**: To anyone who wants to know why I didn't update last week – I did a special chapter for Valentines Day, placed in my 'Eyes of the cat; holiday special'. (It was the Christmas special before I extended it). No, no real romance, just a bunch of amusement and teasing by Eris.

Did you people know that this chapter and my last one actually had a purpose? They're here to enforce the fact that time _is_ in fact moving on, and specific dates are gradually growing closer…

Or you could just ignore my attempt at foreboding just enjoy the story. Review people, TT likes reviews very much!

Dark Inu – Surprising, yes. However, I'll leave that plot idea for you, should you choose to use it.

Dyeh – You have my sympathies, poor little learner. I didn't get any self-confidence until I first drove on my own.

SillyLittleNothing – precisely why Kyo and Yuki would never let Shigure attempt to teach Tohru to drive. In any case, I don't think they'll be a chapter on Tohru learning to drive, sorry. (Use your imagination?)

Karlis – It's fun coming with names for them too – so long as I can think of any. I like to think they add to Eris' personality.

Tohru-kun – You didn't see me the first few times dad attempted to make me drive; I say this was based on experience for a reason.

Shadow Fox – that you for being the one to remind of facts I'd rather pretend didn't exist. -.- The truth is harsh, but that's the way it is, and I much prefer it to pleasant lies – or at least that's what I'll claim.

Hippo Thief – I've no doubt Eris will deem Hiro 'prank material'.

Kat – The clutch is difficult, but using it is the most necessary skill with a manual. Because without the clutch, the car will stall the moment you turn on the engine. You can't _start_ the car without the clutch! (See the problem?)

* * *

"Say, Eris?" 

The ghost tilted her head, from reading Kyo's book over his shoulder, to look at the cat, "Mmm, what is it, NeKyo?"

The cat looked thoughtful, staring at the calendar in front of him, "I could be wrong – but hasn't it been a year since we met? I sure that, this day last year, was when you suddenly decided to start following me."

Eris followed his gaze to the calendar; "I don't know about the day – I hadn't paid attention to dates in decades until I followed you home. But I remember – you'd gone and bought a newspaper, and I decided to follow you – you looked interesting with that hair colour. But then you suddenly just knew I was there – it really freaked me out, but it also made me excited; someone could see me, and would talk to me!" She smiled softly, "I think you were the first living person who'd been able to do that in 10 years." Her smile grew larger, "Do we buy a cake to celebrate?"

Kyo snorted, "Yeah, you wish." He put the book down, moving over on the couch a little so Eris could move through it to sit next to him, "I never thought I'd see you again after that day – wasn't exactly interested, either, I'd decided that ghosts were all the same – more trouble than they're worth."

Eris gave Kyo a sad and pitiful look, "Am I that much trouble, Kyo?"

The cat gave her an incredulous look, "Are you kidding – of course you are! Just look at how much chaos you cause on a daily basis." His expression changed to something softer, and he shrugged, "But then again, with you it was worth it – you threatened Akito, after all!"

"I lost my temper, that's all. There's no need to go on about it all the time – it could've happened to anyone."

"You froze him in ice!"

"Anyone could do that, too! …All they'd need is to dump him in a bath of liquid nitrogen."

Kyo scoffed, "Don't tell me you paid attention to that old TV program we were shown in chemistry? That thing nearly put me to sleep!"

"Hey, I'll have you know that those weird chemistry shows make great inspiration for pranks! Were do you think I learnt to recipe for stink-bombs I gave you?"

"The internet?"

"…"

"…"

"…Well, alright, I'll admit – I double-checked the recipe on the internet. But I learnt it in a chemistry class years ago!"

Kyo let out a snort of amusement, "You know, for some reason, I have a feeling of déjà vu."

"Oooh, I bet its something to do with the ouija board! It's come back to haunt you're mind!" Eris wiggled her fingers in front of Kyo's face, "Woooo!"

Kyo batted her arm away, "Quit it – that thing was evil, and I did everyone a favor by getting rid of it, now stop going on about it."

"Aww, fine. " Eris stuck her tongue out at him childishly. A few seconds of silence, and then she flopped back on the couched and tucked her arms behind her head, "I guess that we should stop Yuki from putting his shoes on, seeing as this is a no prank day, huh?"

Kyo froze for a moment, and then slowly turned his head to look at Eris, "What did you do to his shoes."

There was a startled, almost girlish cry from down the hall, muted by a closed door, which sounded suspiciously like 'EEEEYUUCK!'

"Um, well you know that custard that Tohru had leftover from last night?" Eris' eyes moved to look to the top-left, adverting her gaze from Kyo's.

"The custard that was gone this morning, that everyone figured Shigure had eaten during the night?"

"Ehehe, yeah, that. Well… It made his shoes smell better?"

"What did Yuki do that made you do that to him?"

"Well, lets see; he called me a figment of your imagination, and said that he wished you'd choke on a hairball?"

Kyo raised an eyebrow, "And it wasn't the latter part that made you do that to him, was it?"

Eris smirked evilly. True, her own existence was a bad subject to get on with the ghost. Because if you suggested she didn't exist, in any shape or form, then she'd react in one of two ways. Firstly, she could burst into tears and run to Kyo for comfort – this meant that Kyo would come after you and inevitably demand you apologies so that she calmed down, but was much preferred to the latter approached. Because the second approach involved her doing various tasks to prove that she could react with the real world, and hence exist. And Eris seemed to have no end to her inspiration of pranks.

Yuki stormed out of his room, holding his sneakers in one hand – his socks squelched with every step he took.

The rat's face was red with pent-up frustration, and his furious gaze rested on Kyo. In almost an instant, he was standing next to the cat, holding him by the collar of his shirt. "You… You tell that invisible shell of ectoplasm that if she pulls one more – just one more – prank on me then I will – I'll, I'll – argh!"

Kyo smirked slightly, finding it almost satisfying to be calm as his cousin last his composure, "And what, exactly, do you want me to tell her?"

Yuki took a deep breath, lowering his head so that his eyes were covered by his hair, letting go of Kyo's collar in the process, "Just – just ask her to stop with the pranks… _please_."

Kyo paused, looking to the side for a moment, "Eris says 'Okay'."

Yuki's head shot up, "_What?_"

Kyo shrugged, "Well, she says that all you had to do is ask." And with that, he stepped around stunned Yuki, and walked down the stairs. Beside him floated Eris, whistling. "Come on, Eris – lets go get that cake."

For several more moments, Yuki stood still, his expression stunned. How long had he been attempting to remain calm and simply ignore these pranks, when he could have had them ended by simply asking?

The rat of the zodiac found that he suddenly, desperately, wanted to scream.


	30. Haunted

**Chapter 30 **

**TT: **Wow, how'd I manage to get this far? This, people, is my longest fanfic EVER, so I hope you're all happy. Oh, and sorry to anyone who expected me to update on the weekend – computer was being slow.

To everyone who wants Akito and Eris to go head to head again – patience, I'm getting towards the end of the story, and Eris has a special way of dealing with Akito then.

This chapter is for all my lovely reviewers who wanted Kisa in the story again – say 'aww' everyone!

Leiho Hiroko – stop revealing my already-planned plot-points. :P

BlueSilver-soul - …If you play that prank, and get in trouble for it, don't blame me, alright?

Ja ne, Kat – Yeah, Eris really knows who to mess with someone.

Bob - I know exactly what you mean. Angst is good, but you need some level of moderation.

kashudoreineko – I actually like Yuki's character too. Eris just takes her lead from Kyo.

* * *

"Will Baa-baa-Back-Sheep be coming with Tiger here, tomorrow?" 

"Who, Hiro? Probably, you know what the brat's like… Wait, why do you want to know that?"

"I'm bored! And I told the rat that I'd stop with the pranks, so I have to at least give him a month. So I was going to do some shearing."

"I don't want to know where you found that electric razor – just put it away."

"Hey, did that ghost that was following Kisa around ever come back?"

"Hmm? Oh, Violet? No." Kyo thought back to last week, a week after Kisa had first met Eris face-to-face, and shyly asked him if he could do anything about a ghost that she thought had been following her for the last few days.

Kyo had taken one look at the distressed child, and agreed to help her. Next time Kisa had come over, Kyo had had Eris help him lure the second ghost up to his own room, leaving Kisa in the living room with Kyo's reassurances.

* * *

"Who are you?" Were the first words out of Kyo's mouth as he spoke to the young, dark-haired woman who had been causing Kisa so much distress. She looked much more like a conventional ghost than Eris, her form less solid – Kyo suspected that this happened because a ghost began to forget what they looked like – and wearing the sort of clothes someone would have worn before WWI. 

The ghost had looked surprised at being addressed; looking from Kyo, to Eris hovering at the cat's shoulder, then back to Kyo again. Then, and only then, did she answer, "My name is Violet…"

Kyo nodded, "Why have you been following Kisa?" his voice was harder than perhaps it needed to be, but Kyo figured it was better safe than sorry. Most ghosts were alright, really, but when one started haunting someone, you couldn't be sure.

Violet looked at Kyo's fierce face carefully for a moment, "Are you her brother?"

"We're family. Why are you haunting her?"

Violet stared longingly in the direction she thought Kisa was in, "She… reminds me of Alice… They look so much alike, too." There was a wishful tone to Violet's voice.

Kyo's voice became softer, trying to coax out the information he wanted, "Who's Alice?"

"My… little sister…" As if these words had broken a dam, Violet began to speak to Kyo rapidly, "She was still alive when I died – she'd always been a shy thing, and I was really the only one she talked about her thoughts with. She was so - so fragile, at times, and – she needed me! So I stayed, she talked to me, even after she'd grown up and become a beautiful woman and mother, she still spoke to me at times, or at least she'd address me and talk to herself. I just couldn't leave her alone and, before I knew it, her children were grown up and she… was gone… Then, I say her – she looked so much like Alice, and she was just like her, I thought that maybe I should keep an eye on her, at least until she grew up…"

"She can see you, sometimes."

Violet nodded, "I thought she might be able to. She's special – so was Alice."

Kyo's tone sharpened again, "She isn't Alice. And Kisa doesn't want you to follow her anymore."

"She needs someone."

It was Eris is spoke, "She has Tohru – and NeKyo, too." The cat sent her an irritated looked, but didn't say anything.

"I – I…"

Kyo sighed, and looked at Eris, who had been strangely quiet, staring at Violet carefully, "You stay here with her, I'll be back in a minute."

Eris nodded, "Sure, NeKyo, I'll make sure she doesn't go anyone." She grinned at Violet, a positively evil expression, as if daring the other ghost to try and go.

Looking satisfied, Kyo walked out of the room, leaving the two spooks alone. He walked down the stairs, not really surprised to find Kisa sitting quietly on the couch watching TV – Tohru had gone off to her job about five minutes ago.

Kisa looked over at Kyo curiously, and the cat had to smile softly at the girl. He nodded his head for her to come over, "Come on – you're part."

Kisa hesitated, but obediently followed the cat up the stairs. She hesitated when the reached the cat's room, suddenly reaching out and grabbing his hand for reassurance. Kyo looked down at her in surprise, before hesitantly squeezing the hand and leading her inside.

The ghosts were very quiet, staring at each other. Eris' expression was strong and powerful, while Violet's was softer. Kyo suspected that Eris had had her own piece to say to the dark-haired ghost.

At the sight of the ghosts, Kisa squeaked and ducked behind Kyo's legs, clutching the material of his pants as she peered out behind him. She identified the ghost beaming at them as Eris after a moment, and the other was…

"Kisa, this is Violet – she's the one whose been following you. Didn't you have someone to say to her?"

Kisa looked up at Kyo, the older feline met her gaze and, after holding it for a moment, raised an eyebrow.

Swallowing heavily, Kisa took a tiny step out from behind Kyo, just enough that she could see Violet properly, "Um, I – I would like it if you would stop following me… please…"

Kyo wasn't sure if it was his own talk, the look in Kisa's eyes are she spoke to the ghost, or if Eris had had some private conversation with the second spook that they didn't know about, but the ghost had paused, looking at Kisa longingly, before agreeing.

Kisa had looked surprised, as if she was expecting the ghost to become violent. Thinking back to the first time Kisa had ever seen Eris – back when he had gone to see Akito – he thought that maybe the tiger had a point.

Kisa waited until the ghost was gone, before turning to Kyo and hugging him – the cat froze in surprise at the action – and whispering a "Thank you…" Then, letting go, she looked at the ground. Kyo waited patiently for a few moments and then, just as he was about to ask what Kisa wanted now, the girl spoke again, "Why was she following me in the first place…"

Kyo looked down at Kisa carefully for a moment, debating his answer carefully, before speaking, "Sometimes, a ghost needs to feel like they're needed – just like people do. She thought you needed someone to watch out for you. We got her to go away by explaining to her that you already had Tohru."

Kisa paused again, before looking up at him with hesitantly hopeful eyes, "And you, too?"

Kyo froze, looking at Kisa with surprised, red eyes. Kisa's lip trembled the tiniest bit, and Kyo melted, his expression softening as he gave her a gentle, albeit tentative, pat on the head, "Yeah yeah, and me."


	31. Parallels

**Chapter 31 **

TT: Heya! Sorry to anyone who expected me to update sooner – its been a busy week, and knowing my school its only going to get busier.

Hope you like this chapter, its meant to be a little sappier and more inclined to make you go 'aw' than some of the others – just another look at the friendship between Kyo and Eris… I hope.

Wooo, is it just me, or do I have a lot of replies for your reviews today?

**DragonLady** – Forum! o.O Err, not so far as I know – my story isn't so good that it would have its own forum, if you ask me… _:Plays with fingers: _

**Essence-of-dreamz** – You're making me blush, you know that? But yeah, I know what you mean about not liking OC – usually I feel the same. I suppose a little part of the reason I wrote this story was to see if I could create an OC that people could actually _like_, without making the actually series of Fruits Basket seem redundant.

**Ja Ne, Kat** – Tell your friends that I said thanks, and that I'm glad they like this story as well. And yes, Kyo's getting to be better with people – Eris probably pokes him when she thinks he's being too mean.

**Shizmoo** – Eris likes to tease Kyo about liking Tohru, but that's all it is – teasing. There isn't going to be any actual romance or pairings in this story. Sorry if you thought otherwise.

**Beatrix Kiddo** – Hehe, don't worry, I understand what you mean. Kyo's meant to change slowly, under Eris' influence, but he'll never stop being Kyo. It's pretty interesting to experiment with his slow changing behaviour.

**SillyLittleNothing** – know how you mean about it being a closed topic – it was an area I never thought I'd write in, until I suddenly remembered about how cats can sense the supernatural. As far as stories go – I read a lot of different kinds, from several anime. Strangely enough, I'm partial to angst stories a lot of the time. A far as inspiration – for a start, there's you guys! Yes, my reviewers help me get inspired. Apart from that, its hard to see. Sometimes I'll read a story and think that it would work better a different way, but usually it just hits me, like a pile of bricks.

**BlueSilver**-soul – **Eris:** Baa-baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full - I don't know if Sheepy has that much hair.

**Klove** – Violet was meant to seem like someone you felt sorry for, because in the end she really is just what you said – very lonely. Here's a thought for you now: Eris is actually older than Violet (she just can make her clothes change), imagine how lonely she was before Kyo.

* * *

If someone had known that Kisa could see ghosts - similar to Kyo - and asked her what Eris was like, the girl would have stopped and thought about it carefully for a few minutes. Then, she might have said that Eris was the sort of person who would go out at night and dance in the rain during a thunderstorm, just because she could. And she'd probably be singing, too. 

Storms were the only time of real conflict between Eris and Kyo. The cat loathed the wet weather, finding himself quickly exhausted and with no sign of the fatigue ending until the clouds dispersed. Eris didn't change; she remained as cheerful and as energetic as ever. Because Eris did, indeed, go out dancing in the rain, laughing and singing as she did so, for no other reason than that is 'seemed like a good idea at the time'. And Kyo would stay inside, curled up on a comfortable seat, occasionally lifting heavy eyes to look at Eris with a weary glare.

Alright, so it wasn't really a _conflict_, but it still infuriated Kyo endlessly. Usually, at the end of the day, when Kyo was tired and ready for bed, Eris had worn herself out too. Granted, she didn't sleep, but she grew quieter. During a storm, Kyo felt exhausted, but Eris acted the same as she always did, and Kyo found himself frustrated at her energy. On several occasions, he'd sent Eris off to play with Kisa while he took a nap.

Kisa found that she almost looked forward to rainy days. Hiro, however, was beginning to detest them. Now that Eris wasn't pranking Yuki – with the exception of April Fools, on which _everyone_ but Kyo had suffered – Eris had selected him as her new victim. Along with anyone who Eris caught being cruel to Kisa at school.

One did have to wonder, however, where the ghost had gotten the fluro, glow-in-the-dark hair dyes in the first place.

On some rainy days, however, when Eris finally decided that Kyo needed a break from her altogether and she would vanish, Kisa did not see her. The small tiger had grown comfortable in the ghost's presence, but was too shy to ask. Kyo, too, knew about the habit, but never bothered himself with it – Eris always came back to annoy him some more after a few hours.

* * *

"See if you can find somewhere to park around here – it's just up ahead." 

Kyo raised an eyebrow; the thing Eris had claimed to want to show him was on a highway? Nonetheless, he stopped in a nearby truck stop. Eris floated through the front windscreen, Kyo locking the door to the car as he followed her out. He'd managed to get his license about a month before Eris had suddenly decided that a little 'excursion', as she called it, was in order.

Kyo followed Eris down the turn in the highway, to where she had taken to leaning against a railing on the edge of the road, looking off into the distance. She looked up when Kyo came to stand next to her, and then motioned to a bouquet of fake, clothe flowers attached to the railing between them. The flowers were tattered, all the colour long since bleached out from the elements, but they looked as if they were meant to have been roses a long time ago. Hidden among the flowers, attached tightly, was a plastic apple, with still a hint of golden paint on it.

Kyo blinked thoughtfully at the apple. "The Greek goddess of mischief was supposed to have golden apples, wasn't she? Her name was Eris." He looked at the ghost suspiciously.

Eris nodded, turning to sit on the railing to stare at the road in front of her, "I died, just about there." She pointed to what appeared to be a random place on the road. "Loki was the one who had the apple put into the bouquet, I think; he used to spray paint apples gold for me to take to school when I was small. It was just one of those things…"

"…Is this where you've been going, from time to time?"

"One of the places. I wanted to show it to you. It's funny, but when the cars are all gone – like now – its so peaceful here. You wouldn't think it, would you?" She looked up at the sky, letting out a soft sigh, "My body's not here – its in America somewhere."

Kyo's head shot up in surprise, "America!"

"Yeah; we came from America, our parents were working here for a year. I don't know why, America and Japan weren't exactly on the best of terms at that stage. Actually, I think that's why they insisted that my body be taken back."

"I thought you said that you stayed with your brother until he died, a few years later?"

"Yeah, I've kinda… traveled a lot, since I've died. Lots of people seem to stay in the same area, even if the people they were staying there for move elsewhere. I guess I was just being a rebellious teenager, because I figured that, well, if I'm dead, that means no one can stop me from traveling around the world in first class for free!"

Kyo let out a snort of amusement, looking out at the view Eris had been watching just before.

"You know, Kyo, I never thought I'd show anyone this, not really. They'd think it was silly, and pretty pointless to keep hanging around here. Its funny, people drive past this spot everyday, and barely even glance at this thing – no one remembers me, but I'm still here. Its just… special to me, that's all. I don't expect you to understand."

Kyo didn't look at her. This was a marker of where she'd died, the greatest trauma in her existence, something she'd never be able to completely shake the pain from off. It reminded him of how felt occasionally, living at Shigure's, so close to the main estate and the tiny, dark room that he was fated to be sealed into. Sometimes, when he looked at the calendar, he realized how close the day to when he'd be locked up was coming, and he wondered why he chose to stay there, where it loomed over him.

But at the same time, he knew the answer. Because, somehow, he felt peaceful there. Maybe it was Tohru's presence, maybe it was a few other things, but when he sat on the roof and looked up at the stars at night with Eris there, he felt calmer than he thought possible.

He glanced over at the ghost, meeting her gaze. Neither of them said a word, they didn't need to. They both knew what he was thinking; Kyo did understand, after all.


	32. Excursion

**Chapter 32 **

TT: Sorry to anyone who doesn't think this is up to my usual par; this is something for you all to smile about while I work on the next chapter, which (Oooh, spoiler) will once again involve _Akito!_ Mwahahaha, yes, the God of the Sohma family is back, with a few new tricks in attempt to remind Kyo of his station.

...Wait, now everyone's going to demand I update really quickly, aren't you?

SillyLittleNothing – Oi, stop pointing out future plot-happenings in the reviews. You'll give it all away. :P I suspect that Kyo knows most of the places Eris goes – in the area, that is – the highway is just a special one that deserves its own chapter.

Kashuneko – _:bows:_ I do my best. Thank you.

DragonLady – I know, what I meant was I don't think anyone else has my story mentioned in their forum.

hippo thief – They just didn't get caught. Must've been a quiet day.

* * *

"Hey, NeKyo, why were we going at the museum again?" 

"It's a school excursion, and it gets me out of school. Do we need another reason?"

"Hmm – you have a point!" Eris paused slightly, tucking her arms behind her head, "But why do we have to wait an hour for everyone to get onto the bus?"

Kyo's eyebrow twitched as he watched one of the more incompetent teachers search her lists desperately for the name of the student about to get onto the bus. "I don't know. Go scare the teacher, maybe that will make her hurry up."

Eris paused, looking thoughtful, "Hmm…"

"Excuse me, is that seat taken." Kyo away from the window to see a girl pointing to the seat next to him.

Kyo glanced at the seat, then back at the girl, "Yes."

The girl paused, unsure of what to say, before glancing around the bus; it was almost full by now, and there were only a few seats left, beside people that, quite frankly, scared her more than the orange-haired boy. "I think your friend will have to find another seat, when they get here." She sat down on the seat.

A deep coldness flooded her. She felt uncomfortable, in a way that she couldn't describe, that seemed to be more instinct than an actual thinking. She stood up again, almost instantly, and almost ran off to the other spare seats.

Eris continued to glare at the girl as she left, offense practically radiating off her. She huffed, crossing her arms and turning back to Kyo, "She _sat_ on me!"

"She thought the seat was free."

"You _told_ her it was taken."

Kyo shrugged, "She's blonde, I suppose." Whether Kyo really meant anything by that, or whether it was just meant to make Eris nod and forget about it – which it did – is still under debate.

There was a pause, as the final student found a seat – which was, thankfully, not Eris' – and the bus began to move.

A few moments later, Eris began to sing. For a short while, Kyo ignored it. Then he started glaring. Then he began to mutter for her to shut up. Then he gave up, and simply twitched.

And eventually, they got to the museum. By some miracle, it was before Kyo committed mass-murder or suddenly screamed at invisible people to stop singing.

* * *

"I am the emperor! All hail emperor Eris. Oh, and NeKyo, who is my, um, favorite gladiator!" 

"I am not a gladiator; there's no way I'd fight in some loincloth." Kyo looked at the leather armor on display. According to the tag, the amour had been worn by foot soldiers on campaign. "And get off that live-size model of Caesar's 'throne'."

"But I'm the emperor!"

"Wouldn't you be an empress?"

"But they were boring; empresses weren't allowed to rule or do anything; because they were women. I want to rule, so I'm the emperor! And if you don't want to be a gladiator, you can be my trusted general."

"You pay more attention to my ancient history class than me." He turned away from the display, "Come on, there's a display of the Crusades around here somewhere; you can pretend to be a knight or something."

"Hey, NeKyo, wasn't there a specific display you were supposed to see and take notes on? Famous authors through the ages, or something?"

Kyo shrugged, "I'll copy the notes of Tohru later. Besides, for all I know, Shigure might be there, to look at all the school girls."

"Mm-hmm." Eris didn't appear to be listening. Kyo couldn't see as he walked away, but Eris was staring at a red button on the wall, surrounded by glass.

* * *

Kyo stood outside the building, along with every other visitor at the museum, staring as the firemen made their way into the building. Around him, large, excited discussions were taking place. "Eris, just give me a straight answer; did _you_ push the fire alarm?" 

"Fire alarm? Is that what it was?"

"…If you didn't know it was the fire alarm, why did you push it?"

"Because it said not to!"

"Because it – right, never mind, I think I understand now." A slight pause, "Maybe you should start pranking the rat again, to get rid of these urges of yours."

"I can't do that, NeKyo; I said I wouldn't. Besides, this way, you don't get in trouble for not staying at the exhibit we were supposed to be at."

"And what if _I_ get blamed for this?"

"You won't; I already heard the teacher's talking, they caught some people from another school mucking about with fire alarms in another exhibit; so they think that they pushed the other one first."

"That's never stopped teachers before."

"I messed up an excursion that Yuki had to work hard to help organize for the teacher?"

Kyo's lips twitched, "Yeah, alright – _that_ makes it all worthwhile."

* * *

Tohru watched in fascination as Kyo's eyebrow twitched some more. She'd already asked him what was wrong, but he'd assured her it was nothing and to not worry about it. That had been five minutes ago, when they'd first gotten on the bus for to go home, and the twitching hadn't stopped. The cat was silent, staring out the window with his chin rested on his hand. 

Tohru wondered if she should ask Kyo again, when Hana, sitting in the seats in front of them with Uo suddenly turned around, leaning on the back of her seat to look at the pair behind her.

Her dark eye's rested on Kyo, "Is _it_ the one singing that?"

Kyo let out a small grunt that translated into 'yes'. Tohru looked confused, not sure about who they were talking about. She didn't hear anyone singing.

Hana continued, "Are you certain you don't want me to try and get rid of it? It is being really irritating."

"I'm sure – she'll get bored soon."

Tohru and Uo exchanged a confused look, neither having any idea what Hana and Kyo were talking about, before Uo shrugged and turned back in her seat. Usually she would have demanded an answer, but somehow, this time, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

From where she sat on the back of Kyo's seat, Eris continued to sing, blissfully unaware of the conversation happening below her. "_The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round…_"


	33. Fading

**Chapter 33 **

TT: Well people, as promised, Akito had returned to wreck havoc upon Kyo and Eris. And this time, he's brought back up…

Yes everyone, Eris was being rather annoying in the last chapter; she's got all this excess energy she usually uses to prank Yuki daily.

SillyLittleNothing: No doubt she's pranked all of the zodiac at least once, save for Kyo. Actually, Yuki - once he gets over his apprehension of Eris - will probably ask for her to prank his fanclub.

Klove – Chapter 31 had been a little sad, so 32 was supposed to make you laugh. Good to see it did!

Essence-of-Dreamz – I agree, it does make a good one-liner. It also tells us a fair bit about Eris' overall personality.

Note: I know nothing about exorcism, so I don't claim for the method used to work. I just made up the technique and the result for fun.

* * *

It started as a simply rumour, passing through the zodiac until Ayame had passed it on to them; Akito was planning to go and visit those at Shigure's the next Saturday, when Yuki wouldn't be at school. No one actually mentioned 'And Kyo', but no one needed to, everyone knew that was why Akito would _really_ be coming.

Kyo pretended to not be worried. They all did, in fact. Never mind the fact that Shigure had arranged for Tohru to spend the whole day elsewhere with her friends, never mind that Yuki kept jumping at the slightest unexpected sound. They weren't worried, really they weren't.

Kyo wished Eris would stop giving him that skeptical look whenever he insisted on this fact.

Apart from Tohru, who didn't count because she wasn't involved in whatever would happen, the only one who didn't seem apprehensive was Eris herself. But, as Kyo had told her once, Eris didn't really _understand_. Yes, she had beaten Akito last time, but Akito hadn't known about her then. Alright, so she could be hit or controlled by brute force like the others, but Akito knew this. Akito wasn't stupid. Terrifying, vindictive, spiteful, malicious, and even enough to send Kyo's cat-senses haywire, yes, but he wasn't _stupid_. He knew that she couldn't be hurt or controlled by normal means, so he had to have some kind of plan for her.

Besides, Akito _was coming there_. Akito never went anywhere to see anyone – he was the god of the family. If he wanted to see someone, he summoned them, and they came. Akito never went _to_ someone; it was always the other way around. The entire situation was too surreal to leave them anything _but_ nervous.

And you can tell Eris that Kyo was not making excuses for himself, thank you very much!

The days, hours, minutes and seconds were counted down; each tick of the clock seemed to make Yuki jumpier than the last.

And then, finally, the day arrived. Tohru was convinced to leave and, not half and hour later, the other zodiac began to suddenly decide to drop in for a visit.

First Haru and Momiji had come in – no doubt that, if not for the rabbit, Haru would have been a few days later, after getting lost. Then Ayame had appeared, believing that his brother was in need of some comfort. A little while after that, Kisa had come to see Kyo, Hiro reluctantly following, ever weary of the ghost. Kagura had burst in, delighted to see her Kyo. Hatori had followed the boar; wary to the damage she might cause anyone who got into her way.

No one mentioned Akito's inevitable arrival. In fact, everyone seemed to be avoiding the subject. The day thus far had been peaceful; unless you were Hiro. Eris had taken a disliking to 'little baa-baa brat' the first time she'd met him, and so had selected him to be her victim for the day. He found himself tripped numerous times, salt was added to his drinks and sandwich. From what the others could make out from Kyo's discussion with midair, the ghost had also had the intention of dunking him in a sheep-dip, but had been unable to find one.

And then, finally, the clock struck three. And a car slid down the driveway.

* * *

The entire house went quiet as Kurono opened the door of the car for Akito. Shigure, Yuki and Kyo went outside to meet them, the others staying hidden within the house. There was no point in the three pretending to be surprised over his visit; it would only make Akito impatient.

Another man stepped out of the car; a middle-aged man whose dark hair was streaked with grey. He leaned over, asking Akito something quietly. The head of the Sohma family answered in return, and the pair looked over at Kyo. The cat felt shivers run down his spine at the glance.

The older man nodded, and took something out of the car. Akito lead him forward, and stopped a few meters in front of Kyo.

"Cat, this is Mr. Harrowing. He is here to take care of your little… tenant."

Kyo didn't have a chance to ask what he meant, before a silver cross on a chain was abruptly dropped over his neck. Both he and Eris peered at it curiously, the ghost reaching out to poke it. It swayed back and forth under the motion. Kyo saw Mr. Harrowing frown.

Then the older man spoke. Kyo didn't understand the language, but Eris blinked and tilted her head – Kyo recognized her expression as her 'I didn't know people still did that' expression. She wore it when someone did something that would have been common when she was alive, but as far as she knew no one remembered.

Mr. Harrowing continued. Kyo found it harder and harder to make out; a strong wind was starting to whistle in his ears. Strange, he didn't even feel a breeze.

Eris cried out, sounding startled. Kyo turned to her, only to see the ghost holding out a hand to shield her face from a wind that didn't exist. But it did exist for the ghost, Eris' hair and the end of her jacket were flying out behind her, growing more transparent before his eyes.

Her skin grew pale, until it suddenly hit Kyo that it wasn't actually getting paler at all; it too was becoming transparent. It was as if the wind was blowing away her entire body, molecule by molecule, until there was nothing left.

"Eris!"

"Ne…Kyo?" She looked up at him, eyes as full as fear as his voice had been. Kyo could see through those hazel eyes, into the landscape behind her. Even at her weakest, Kyo had never seen Eris so… faint.

Kyo reached out, trying to grab her. Eris reached out to grab his arms, trying to steady herself. But before they even came close enough to fall through him, Eris completely disappeared without a trace.

"**_ERIS!_**"


	34. Fury

**Chapter 34 **

**TT:** Well, I _was_ going to extend out your anxiety a little bit more, but I was scared that if I did so, you'd all hunt me down and kill me. I have to say, though, I was surprised to how strong a reaction I got with the last chapter.

Just a little note to Dark Inu Fan: I did say it last chapter, but I guess you missed the note. I don't know anything about exorcism, so I made up my own weak version, along with its effects.

* * *

Kyo didn't hear Akito thanking Mr. Harrowing for his time. He didn't see Kurono lead the exorcist back to the car and drive off. Didn't even notice when Shigure and Yuki moved back or as Akito walked towards him.

Eris… Was gone. She'd just disappeared, right in front of him. She couldn't do that, not to him. This was different to her disappearing trick with the others - Eris didn't disappear on _him_! She couldn't; if he couldn't see her, then Eris simply wasn't there.

Kyo's pupils shrunk into tiny, shivering dots. "Eris..." His voice was low and cracked around the lump in his throat.

Suddenly there pain, and Kyo fell to the ground. Akito had punched him; he could already feel his left temple beginning to bruise. He winced, and shifted his head, before lying still again, staring at Akito's boots. He felt drained, too tired to deal with the Sohma god. He'd already taken Eris away, wasn't that enough? There was no punishment Akito could give him worse than that, not even locking him away. At least, if he'd simply been locked away, Eris would have been there to keep him company.

Kyo felt sick. Eris had always seemed so strong before. It just didn't seem possible that she could be beaten by a simple exorcism. The cat had to swallow hard, closing his eyes tightly.

A sharp flare of new pain at his temple, as he was sent flying across the grass before landing on his stomach. Akito had just _kicked_ him. Kyo couldn't be sure, but he thought he felt blood dripping down the side of his face. Kyo winced, and lifted his face from the ground slightly.

In the edge of his swimming vision, Kyo spotted Akito's shoes approaching him. It took a moment to get through his pounding head that the rest of Akito was most likely attached. It was also then that it occurred to him that Shigure and Yuki seemed to have disappeared.

Kyo could _feel_ the rage radiating off Akito, it was practically tangible. The self-proclaimed God of the Sohma Family had been beaten, humiliated and almost killed by the ghost last time. He'd remained dangerously ill for another two months, and had been forced to wait another three before he could even think of getting some sort of revenge. Humiliated, possibly for the first time since becoming head of the family, and defied by someone who was _already DEAD_. There was very little he could do to inflict a punishment on the ghost, and that fact had obviously only fueled his anger.

Anger that was directed solely at the Kyo.

Someone on the edge of the tree line, Kyo thought he heard a cat meow as it leapt onto a higher branch, but he could be sure. The orange-haired teenager didn't move as Akito stood over him, looking down at him with utter disgust. The last thing he wanted to do was make Akito angrier – if that was even possible.

Was Akito speaking to him? He could see the head's lips moving, but couldn't hear anything over the sound of blood rushing in his own ears.

Evidently it had been a question he was supposed to answer, however, because Akito's face curled into an angry snarl when he didn't twitch, and slammed a foot down on the cat's chest. Kyo's eyes widened as the breath was knocked out of him, shoulders flying up slightly in an instinctive attempt to lessen the blow. He fell back to the ground, gasping. But it was hard to catch his breath with Akito applying pressure to his lungs like that…

Odd, a part of him thought this was vaguely… familiar.

"You're pathetic without your little friend, you know that, cat?" The title was spat out of Akito's mouth. "You couldn't even safe your little pet, could you? You just stood there, staring, as _it_ was taken straight to hell; which is where it belongs, for willingly having _anything_ to do with a monster like you."

Kyo didn't say anything; he didn't have the breath to. But a part of him boiled with anger: no one should be allowed to talk about Eris like that! At the very least, surely Akito heard of 'respecting the dead'?

"You honestly thought you could get away with it, didn't you? You thought that you and your little pet ghost could defy me with no repercussions. You thought that you could beat the family, the curse, and me. You thought that you – a filthy monster – could get away with it." Akito was snarling as he kicked Kyo in the side, rolling him over onto his injured stomach.

Akito was still talking, but Kyo wasn't listening to him anymore. He had curled himself into a little ball, not even twitching when Akito nudged him with the side of his foot. He felt so cold…

Actually, now he thought about it, there was a comforting familiarity to that cold groping at his shoulder. What was it…?

For a second, he thought he that the wind in his ears had taken on a voice. Then, the next moment, the pain had faded. Only the world hadn't turned black, and there were foreign thoughts bubbling somewhere near his own.

Akito's eyes widened in surprise when the cat's hand reached out to grab the foot that had been nudging him. The hand pulled the foot out from under him, making the Head of the Sohma family fall backwards onto the ground.

The filthy monster's body cast a shadow over him, and Akito looked up in rage, about to get back to his feet. But something in the cat's gaze made him freeze in place.

Kyo's face was twisted into a furious snarl, clenched fists near his hips in a pose that seemed strangely feminine. His gleaming eyes didn't seem quite so red as usual.

Then the cat spoke; it was his voice, though pitched a little higher than normal. The voice had a slight accent, "Oh, that's it. You are _so _dead!"


	35. Possession

**Chapter 35 **

TT: So many reviews… o.O I think I'm going to faint at the sheer number. I forget how many people are actually reading this story until I have six reviews come in almost at once.

BlueSilver-soul: Sorry, but Kyo doesn't keep flamethrowers in his pocket, so you'll just have to imagine it happened.

SillyLittleNothing: …Alright, I'll admit it. When the inspiration for a scene hits me hard enough, I don't edit as I go along and when I go back I read what I _think_ is there instead of what it. It's a horrible habit that I've never yet been able to break.

MouseWolf: …Sensei?

* * *

On the porch, where Shigure and Yuki had retreated and the rest of the zodiac had come out to watch, confused looks were exchanged. Only moments ago, it didn't look as if Kyo had had the strength to lift his head, much less stand. And now here he was, not only acting as if he hadn't been injured at all, but also acting very strangely even given the circumstances. 

Kisa clutched Hiro's hand more tightly as she stared. She was scared for Kyo – she'd seen Eris fade, there was no one left to protect the older feline. Suddenly, she squinted. Funny, but for a moment there, she thought she'd seen something strange.

There! It wasn't her imagination; there was something near Kyo that flickered, in the same sort of way that she saw ghosts. The tiger tried to concentrate, until the picture held long enough for her to make out.

It wasn't near Kyo, it was _in_ Kyo. A ghost, who'd pushed their way into his body. Was this that possession Kyo had vaguely mentioned once? The transparent figure appeared to be female, thought she couldn't see the face. There was brown hair in a ponytail, stretching across Kyo's back as if affected by static, and they had a black, woolen jacket… And purple sneakers.

It was the shoes that Kisa had recognized. Her eyes had widened, suddenly holding Hiro's hand so tightly the sheep winced. "Eris…"

Everyone else snapped their heads around to look at her, eyes wide and surprised, before glancing back at Kyo.

* * *

Angered and vaguely humiliated, Akito scrambled to his feet as quickly and as dignifiedly as he could. He scowled, attempting to regain the mental ground that he had just lost in the cat's unusual behavior. "You dare? You don't even deserve to touch me, much less attack - " 

"You know something Akito?" 'Kyo's voice sneered, accent never fading, "You're the one who taints others with _your_ touch. Say, is bleach safe for skin? I'll have to ask Tohru…"

Akito was beginning to see red; he lifted his hand to slap the orange-haired boy in front of him -

- Only to have his hand caught in the cat's own. An almost unnatural strength seemed to feel the second body as Kyo's grip tightened, crushing the bones in Akito's hand.

Akito stumbled back, clutching the hand to his chest. Tears of pain welled up in his eyes, before they disappeared. Akito gave the teenager a glare that could melt steel. "You – You'll pay for that, cat - "

He was interrupted again by Kyo's voice, speaking coolly, though his expression was bright. "Kyo's not here right now – can I take a message?" Kyo suddenly scowled; it was a different expression to Kyo's usual one, but there was still something very familiar about it. "I did warn you, Akito; I warned you what would happen if you messed with NeKyo again. I'm not so forgiving the second time around."

For a moment, Akito looked confused. Then his eyes widened, "But, your - "

"Eris. The name is Eris. You better remember it if you want to plead for mercy."

"I just got rid of you!"

A casual shrug, "Your friend wasn't as good over long distances as he thought. I really hope you didn't pay him too much." She didn't bother to explain anymore than that.

Anything Akito might have wanted to say to that was interrupted as the possessed cat abruptly grabbed him by the neck, holding him up in the air with one hand, Akito's feet dangling helplessly a meter off the ground.

The human body is a remarkable thing; it is capable of doing much more than what its owner believes. This is probably because something in the owner's subconscious prevents the person from pushing his body to its limit under normal circumstances, because of the strain on the body this would cause.

However, when she died, Eris lost that subconscious limitation. And it was plainly obvious that her friend's usual limits hadn't occurred to her, as she watched Akito claw helplessly at the hand choking him. One of the scratches had made a few drops of blood well up onto Kyo's finger, but Eris couldn't feel it. She'd almost forgotten what physical pain _was_.

Eris suddenly snorted, and threw Akito away from her. He flew a few meters across the ground before finally landing, skidding and rolling another three meters before finally stopping.

Eris walked towards him – there was a small, unintentional swing to the hips in her steps. It was the kind of movement that boys did not possess, but girls did without realizing.

She knelt down in front of Akito, meeting his horrified gaze with her own cool one. Akito glared back, hotly, but kept his head lower than hers. Akito wasn't in control of this situation, Eris was. There was nothing Akito could do to change that. They both knew it. And Akito hated that fact, hated that he – _him,_ God of the Sohmas! – had no control over the situation; that he was at the mercy of some _ghost_.

"You know, Akito. I'm not like you. I don't enjoy hurting people or watching people get hurt; under usual circumstances." Any glimmer of hope that the head of the Sohma family might have had in his eyes faded. "And I've certainly never been one to have people killed. But… You've had a lot of chances."

Akito swallowed heavily. He lowered his head to look had his good hand, resting on the ground, clenched into a fist as he tried to come up with a plan.

Eris smiled her patent, mischievous smile. The expression seemed strange on Kyo's face. "But I'm not going to kill you." Akito's head shot up in surprise, "You see, I'm not the one you – and the other Heads before you – have wronged." She watched as Akito's eyes widened.

Eris got to her feet, and walked away, back towards the house. She climbed onto the porch, and then looked down at Kisa. She knelt down slightly to speak to her, hands on her knees; "Come on, Kisa, we should go inside. I don't know for sure, but I think this is going to be messy."

Kisa looked into Kyo's red eyes for a moment. She saw a flash of hazel, and then nodded softly, taking the orange-haired teen's cold hand with her own, and allowed herself to be lead inside, Hiro following with a scowl. The older members of the zodiac hesitated, looking at Akito, before slowly moving inside as well.

Akito didn't notice any of this. He was staring at the tree line, unable to look away even though he could see anything. Eris had been looking over that way when she said _she_ wasn't the one that had been wronged. What had she seen?

Then he heard it, and his blood suddenly ran cold. He tried to scramble back, but found himself frozen in place. He looked down, only to find ice covering the grass around him, his hands stuck to the ground.

The sound came again; "Mew."

A pair of glowing, amber eyes appeared, hovering without a body just a little off the ground, watching him. Several more pairs suddenly appeared, opening from behind the eyelids of invisible cats. Somewhere behind them, higher up, another set of eyes opened. Eyes that Akito had only seen when he'd removed Kyo's bracelet from his arm.

Akito swallowed as those eyes came towards him, bodies becoming more visible in the process. Eris had no reason, save for Kyo's protection, to fight Akito. But _these_ ghosts had an eternity of torment between them, thanks to all the Heads that came before Akito. It was just his luck that they demanded retribution now.


	36. Silence

**Chapter 36 **

**TT: **Well, here we are again, with a new chapter for everyone! Just so everyone gets this straight, there will be no real description of what the cats do to Akito – I think it's most effective if I just leave that to your imaginations, seeing as you'll probably come up with better ideas than me. That, and it acts as a good effect.

Okay, everyone have their ears blocked? Good. **_500 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST; 500! I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLL!_**

Seriously, when I wrote the first chapter, I never imagined I'd get anywhere near 500 reviews, or so many loyal reviewers. I want to thank you all, for all your help with this story, giving me inspiration for so much of what I've written, and for simply taking the time to read my work.

**BlueSilver-Soul** – You've dreamt about phantom cats? That must've been pretty interesting. I don't get interesting dreams like that – though that's probably a good thing, I get too many weird ideas as it is.

**Essence-of-Dreams** – Be bothered no more!

**Mikhyel** – Nice to meet you, oh reviewer 500! To answer a question of yours, Kyo acts really paranoid with ouiji boards, but his aggression towards 'threats' is greater than his fear. That and he just messed up.

**Chaos Tears** – You love how my mind works? I'm just scared of it.

**SillyLittleNothing** – The God may be reincarnated, but god or not a young child can be easily intimidated… Especially by Eris in her 'You want to do _what_ to NeKyo?' mood.

**Klove** – Kisa sees the supernatural in flashes. Yes, she spotted the cat ghosts, but she doesn't understand their significance or that they were anything more than simple cats.

Oh, and while I'm at this; there won't be an 'Easter Special', sorry everyone, but I have assignments that I need to do. But, so she doesn't make it hard for me to work, Eris still gets to pass on her Easter Message:

**Eris:** Happy Crucifixion Day!

**TT:**…Err, right.

* * *

Eris didn't jump when they heard a hoarse cry from outside. She casually grabbed Hatori's wrist when he moved to go outside, "I wouldn't. They've been after this for a long, long time."

Hatori looked at Kyo – no, he reminded himself – Eris. It was probably the most bizarre thing he'd ever experienced, dealing with a ghost – something he hadn't believed existed up until a few months ago – who was in control of his cousin's body, having to remind himself that this wasn't Kyo acting strangely, this was a whole other person. And considering how close he'd been, and was, with Shigure and Ayame, claiming this was the strangest thing he'd ever experienced was saying something.

Kisa clung tighter to the possessed cat's arm at the sounds from outside; half of which only she and Eris could actually hear. "I didn't know there were so many of them..."

Eris glanced down at Kisa with Kyo's blood-coloured eyes, "That's because they've never been able to move on – every cat since the very first never moved on from that cage. Maybe they keep the following cats company so they weren't alone or wanted to see the next walk free, I don't know. But mostly, I guess they were also angry, they'd had a long time to dwell on the unfairness of everything before they died – those who feel angry and cheated can never move on until their appeased.  
"Usually it only takes a little while before the anger fades, but they just saw the same thing happen again – they got angrier. It was an endless cycle that they can't truly accept. And I don't blame them."

Kisa watched as Eris tilted her – er, his? – head back, looking at the ceiling. There was some strange emotion Kisa couldn't identify in the ghost's expression, and it suddenly occurred to Kisa that she knew practically nothing about when and how the ghost died, or what she'd seen after.

Hatori cleared his throat, attempting the change the subject. "When exactly is Kyo going to have his body back? I really should treat his wounds." He tried to ignore the strange sounds from outside, or think about what kind of injuries Akito might gain.

Eris blinked, "Eh, body back?" She paused, and looked down at the body she was in. She jumped to her feet, "Ahh! I'm a guy!" She had the impudence to look sheepish, "I'd… kinda forgotten about that."

Simultaneously, everyone in the room except the ghost began to sweatdrop.

* * *

Kyo felt like he was sleepwalking. He could feel his body moving, though he wasn't making it. Though he could hear sounds they were washed out, as if being heard underwater, but without the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. And he could see, but he couldn't focus, he didn't take in what he was seeing. It was like walking around in a dream, one he'd quickly forget. He didn't even feel cold, not now.

But what he did feel was vulnerable.

So vulnerable; he had absolutely no control whatsoever. He was a passenger in his own body, watching, watching, endlessly watching and without the power to do anything.

It brought trust to a whole other level, one that no other human could even begin to fathom. Simply stepping back from control, and allowing someone else to control his body, his every movement, everything. It terrified him.

But what terrified him more was that he still wasn't afraid of what Eris would do, while she lay in possession of his body. His level of trust in the ghost was unbelievable, even to him.

"I think that Akito's gotten the hint, now." Kyo could hear his own voice, marred with an accent that Kyo had grown so used to he didn't usually notice. It was so easy to forget that Eris was actually American, until her accent was suddenly noticed.

_'Gee, you think?'_ Inwardly, Kyo found himself recoiling slightly as he freaked out for a moment. He was nothing but a voice inside his own head! It wasn't actually surprising, he'd spoken several things to Eris while she'd been in control of his body and dealing with Akito, but it was only now that the danger was over that it was actually registering. He was by no means scared of what Eris might do while she was like this, but that didn't stop the experience of being a passenger in his own body being a terrifying one.

And, somehow, he was sure Eris knew how freaked out he was. She couldn't read his thoughts; only hear what would have been spoken. Nor could Kyo read hers – he could feel her thoughts, her consciousness, but feeling their presence was the only contact. They simply covered his brain like a blanket, blocking out any signals he was giving his body and replacing them with her own.

"Okay Kyo, lets see… Umm, brace yourself?"

And, with that simple warning, Eris released her possession over the cat. A familiar icy coldness filled Kyo as he returned to his senses. And, along with his control, came the pain and his body's exhaustion. Kyo didn't even have time to blink before he lost his balance and the floor came up to meet him.

To the majority of the people around the cat, all they saw was the tiniest bit of colour return to the cat, as he abruptly fell to the ground, clenching he red eyes shut and clutching his ribs.

Kisa was the only one who saw anything vaguely difference. She watched as Kyo fell forward – and Eris remained still, standing in place. She wasn't completely sure how, but Eris had come back.

Hatori didn't take long to react, shifting the cat onto his back and trying to get him to open his eyes so the doctor could check for a concussion.

Obediently, the cat opened his eyes, wincing at the light. He blinked once, focus swimming. Leaning over him anxiously, just near Hatori's shoulder, was a face that, not really that long ago, he'd been afraid he'd never see again.

Kyo smiled weakly at Eris, before his eyes closed again and he was lost into the depths on unconsciousness.

Outside, there was silence.


	37. Emotional

**Chapter 37 **

**TT:** Hey everyone, did you all have a nice Easter? …I'm going to pretend that you said yes, and say 'Well, that's good to know!'. If anyone who was expecting me to update more quickly during the holiday break, I'm sorry but I've got several assignments that I need to due in this period that are giving me hassle… Say, is anyone an expert with Microsoft Access? No? Aww, darn! Ah well, never fear, because I promise that I'll still do my best to update at least once a week! Okay? Good.

Oh, and happy Anzac Day to everyone – especially the Aussies and NZers out there that know what I'm talking about!

DragonLady - Don't worry, there's more. The story isn't ending _just_ yet… I don't think.

Dark Inu Fan – She simply didn't think of doing something like that. Actually, I think she forgot that the body would fall once she left it.

Yamiyo – You wish has been granted. I'm not going to be responsible for anyone else loosing their sanity, nope.

PurpleAjah – Well, its probably not as cute as you were hoping (Kyo's not an easy patient) but I certainly put it in!

XxFallenxX – You're probably right, particularly if someone had reached out to him when he was younger. However, in this Akito's going to stay evil. No offense to Akito fans like yourself, but he's an effective villain.

Cheeky doggie – Yes, I'm in my last year of high school – actually, its kinda scary. While the idea that Eris might leave Kyo for someone else is interesting, there's a level of trust in their relationship, which would probably mean Kyo doesn't have that fear… That and no one else the pair deal with can see Eris (except Kisa, but she only gets flashes)…

Sillylittlenothing - …Pleasant dreams? Please, don't loose sleep on my account, humans tend to need it.

GirlWaterShaman – I'm afraid that there won't be any romance between Tohru and Kyo in this story. Sorry, but I'm not very good at romance-work, and this story focuses much more on simple friendship than romance. I'm afraid the closest you'll get is Eris teasing Kyo about it in various ways from time to time.

Klove0511 – Sorry, I sometimes forget that other people can't read my mind. Eris forgot she was in Kyo's body because, from the moment they had first spotted the cats gathering, Kyo had gone very quiet – he was a bit nervous, what with seeing a ghost of the cat's real form and everything.

* * *

Kyo woke up suddenly, his eyes flickering open and closing again all in a single moment. There was a sunbeam, or at least he thought it was a sunbeam, shining directly into his eyes.

For a moment, he was confused. He hurt; there was a sharp stinging pain near his temple, and a dull ache in his chest. Why was he in pain? A memory of Akito's face flashed through his head, making him flinch. Well, at least he remembered that much. He tried to make sense of his jumbled memories. He was blaming the difficulty of the task on he head wound Akito had given him. If he recalled… Akito had come for a 'visit'. A jumble of images flashed through his mind: cat specters filled with a fury so powerful that it radiated off them in a red haze, some kind of cross necklace, moving without making himself? Eris, looking scared, reaching for him, fading.

Eris! Kyo's eyes snapped open again, completely ignoring the bright light and forced himself up into a sitting position. He was scarcely aware of the pain caused by the sudden movement, or the way it made his vision swim. His heart was beating frantically in his chest, Eris had disappeared! A tiny voice in his head reminded him that she'd come back, but how could he be sure that it wasn't just a dream or an illusion? His red eyes glanced around the room several times, searching for her frantically, irrationally afraid that she hadn't actually returned at all.

His eyes past her three times before his vision was steady enough to actually spot the ghost, sitting by the window with light streaming through her, staring out into the garden. He let out a shaky sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding in.

The sound made Eris glance around, her expression becoming bright as their eyes met. "NeKyo, you're awake! Are you feeling alright?" She moved to stand next to him, by the bed.

Kyo stared up at Eris for a second longer, before his vision blurred, this time from tears. Before either of them knew what had happened, Kyo had flung his arms around Eris, face pressed against her stomach, still shivering a little.

The ghost tensed at the unexpected action, blinking in surprise, both at Kyo and the fact that he hadn't fallen through her. She stared down at Kyo in shock for a moment, before hugging him around the shoulders, trying to offer whatever comfort Kyo needed. "Uh, NeKyo…?"

Kyo shuddered, both from cold and something more emotional, closing his eyes against the tears that stubbornly insisted on staying. He opened his mouth to speak, but had to swallow back a lump in his throat first, "I –You scared me, Eris. I thought I'd lost you…"

Eris blinked once, startled by the confession. It wasn't like Kyo to act like this, though she couldn't really blame him. She grinned brightly, hoping that normalcy would help soothe the cat's worn emotions, "Nah, I'm too stubborn to just up-and-leave because of a little something like that."

* * *

Hatori's gaze pierced through Kyo as the cat fidgeted again, "Sit still, I'm almost finished." The swab of cotton wool in his hands continued to clean the wound on Kyo's temple.

Kyo muttered something under his breath, flinching away from the cotton wool that stung his wound. "It doesn't need to be cleaned!"

Eris watched in what could have almost been fascination, "You fight with Yuki every day, and take his punches and kicks with less than a grunt, didn't do much more than gasp when Akito kicked you that day at the main house, hardly flinched when you sprained your ankle jumping off a school roof – I _told _you it was a bad idea – but the moment it comes to cleaning the cuts…"

Kyo glared at the ghost sitting at the foot of his bed, ignoring Hatori's work in favour of Eris, "I swear, if you say 'I told you so' about that roof incident one more time, I'll…"

Hatori pulled the cat's head back into position, ignoring the professional doctor in him that suggested the head wound was making Kyo hallucinate. Once he could reach the wound again, he began to recover the small bleeding wound.

"Ow!" Kyo pulled away from the doctor's fingers, sending his older cousin a nasty look, "That hurt!"

"Oh, be quiet and let Spock do his job, NeKyo."

Kyo paused, and then glanced over at Eris, " 'Spock'?"

The ghost shrugged, "Well, I was going to call him Bones, but he has such a Spock-like expression all the time."

"…What the _heck_ is a Spock? Hey, watch it!" Kyo flinched away from the hands that were trying to check his ribs.

"I'm amazed you can move – your body's been pushed to a limit I didn't know it could reach." The doctor put a jar of ointment beside the bed, "This should help with any aching muscles – but you have to stay in bed, your body would be barely able to support itself right now."

"Don't be stupid, the only thing wrong with me is a cold that _someone_ gave me by lowering my entire body temperature to minus 5 degrees." The cat gave a pointed look to, what appeared to be, thin air. Unseen by everyone else, Eris gave Kyo a childlike look, behind looking up at the ceiling and whistling innocently.

Hatori removed the thermometer from Kyo's mouth, secretly amazed that the cat had been able to keep it under his tongue with all the complaining he'd been doing. "Your temperature's gone down – just stay in bed until your body recovers. Tohru said she'd bring you your schoolwork."

Kyo leaned back against the pillow set against the headboard, wincing slightly at the pain of his ribs, "Quit bothering me already – go take care of Akito or something, so that you leave me alone long enough to get out of this bed!"

"…Akito has no need for my services at the moment – he's been in a coma since Saturday."

Kyo froze, slowly turning his head around to look back at Hatori, eyes wide, "_What_!" He asked, almost positive he'd heard wrong.

"Akito is in a coma."

Kyo's expression didn't change, instead his eyes glanced over to the end of the bed; unseen to Hatori, Eris nodded in silence. Kyo swallowed heavily. "Oh…" His voice had gone quiet, nearly monotone and emotionless.

Hatori packed his things and left the room without another word. Kyo didn't speak, instead staring at the blanket under on his lap in with wide eyes. It was only after the door closed behind the doctor that Kyo looked up.

Red eyes met hazel, and Kyo swallowed again, "What did you do to him, Eris?"

The girl shook her head, "It wasn't me, Kyo – you said you'd seen everything I'd done the entire time, right? I didn't do anything…" The ghost scratched the back of her neck thoughtfully for a moment, "The cats just got pushed a little too far, and showed their claws."


	38. Apples

**Chapter 38 **

Well everyone, here's a new chapter for you, just as I said. I go back to school again now, so here's hoping I wake up in time!

On happier notes: I've got a new kitten! _:Squeals and coos over said kitten:_ He's a tabby, about 10 weeks old, and likes to sit on my shoulder. He's just a little sweetie! If you're wondering why I got a kitten – my 18th birthday is the next, so he's an early present. His name's Loki! And believe me when I say he lives up to it!

Okay, now that I'm done being a proud mummy…

SillyLittleNothing: I'm not sure what will happen with the spirit of the god, yet. Hence why Akito may be in a coma for quite a while… Hey, if you've any ideas, hand 'em up!

Dark Inu Fan – I'm a cat and a woman myself – may the world tremble at our feet!

Pagegrrl – Oooh, new fan! Heh, thanks for your compliments. If your not careful, you're going to make my head swell!

Mousewolf - …I want to be able to manipulate olden poems like that. You've made me jealous (that, and upset that even if you did let me use it, there's no where it would fit).

Cheeky Doggie – If I didn't use humor to balance out the drama, the plot would go dry. Its all about finding a balance. Besides, I like making you guys laugh!

* * *

Kyo found himself unable to leave his bed for a week and a half, much to his infuriation. His plans to escape from his covers were thwarted by the fact that Shigure had taken it upon himself to keep the cat in bed – numerous lewd jokes included – and that Hatori had taken up what almost seemed to be permanent residence in the house. Akito had still shown no signs of waking up, and so the dragon had focused his energies on healing Kyo most of the time, along with preventing the cat from killing Shigure.

Even after the cat had healed enough to get out of bed, Hatori would not allow him to leave the house. Tohru continued to bring schoolwork home to the recovering cat, who was so bored he found himself completing it as his body continued to heal.

He wasn't even allowed to go outside and train, for goodness sake!

Needless to say, Kyo was restless. Shigure had teased that he acted like a kitten that was hyped with pent-up energy and would randomly dash up and down a corridor for no reason. Granted, Kyo hadn't gone that far; though he'd felt like doing it once or twice, the pain in his ribs reminded him that it would be inadvisable.

For the first few weeks, Kyo seemed to have developed a strange anxiety that Hatori couldn't explain. He'd inexplicitly freeze, sitting up straight, and jerk his head around until his eyes rested on some vacant spot beside him. Then, and only then, would he relax and start to breath again. Hatori could guess that it was caused by trauma, but not knowing all of what happened he couldn't understand the significance of the cat's motions. He was pleased, however, when Kyo's strange behavior began to fade after a few weeks, lapsing back into old habits.

And Eris stayed with Kyo until he could walk again, barely leaving his side for a moment unless the cat was in the bathroom, enduring her friend's building frustrations, and soothing his anxiety that she might inexplicitly leave again.

Kyo sighed, tilting his head back into the wind. He may not have been allowed to leave the house, but he had managed to sneak away and had retreated to his sanctuary of the roof, enjoying the feel of evening sun on his face.

"Hey look, there's Venus!" The ghost pointed in childish excitement at the sight of the so-called Evening Star. "Sparkly."

Kyo glanced at her from the corner of his eye; suspecting that she'd been suffering from cabin fever as much as him.

As if confirming his thoughts, Eris turned to him, grinning, "It's great to be outside again, huh?"

Kyo smiled back and nodded, lying down with his hands behind his head, "Yeah. And about time too. Stupid Hatori."

"Aww, don't be so hard on the Doctor-dragon/seahorse, he's just doing his job."

"You really need to give Hatori a shorter nickname."

"Well, I did call him Spock and Bones a few times, but you didn't get it."

"…Riiiight."

For a moment, everything was silent. Then Eris spoke, her voice quiet, almost meek, "NeKyo? I'm sorry that I got you hurt… And I'm sorry I wasn't there."

A lump suddenly appeared in the cat's throat; he swallowed heavily before answering, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not like it was your fault, and you did come back in the end…" He paused, hands tightening into fists, before rolling over to face the ghost, "Eris… What _happened_?"

His friend didn't ask what he meant. Instead, she closed her eyes, as if trying to remember. "It, well, I don't know what happened, one moment I was there, with you, but everything kept going hazy. Then, the next thing I know, I have no idea where I am."

* * *

_Flashback

* * *

_

It took a moment for Eris to get her bearings. It felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her – except she didn't breathe – and that someone was using a jackhammer against the side of her head.

The ghost moaned, and blinked twice as her eyes began to focus. All she could see was blue. It took her a moment to work out that she was staring at the sky.

Sitting up, the ghost held her head, trying to work out where she was.

Nearby was what was either a school or a public library; Eris didn't stop to guess which, instead her eyes rested on the flag sailing in the wind in front of it.

The flag had red and white stripes. And lots of stars. What in the afterlife was she doing in _America_!

Getting to her feet, Eris glanced around. Behind her, she could see the deep sparkling blue of an ocean. Eris groaned in frustration, stamping a foot, "Don't tell me I have to cross that thing _again_?"

A face flashed in her mind. A teen with orange hair. "Ahh! Forget about that – NeKyo's all alone with Akito! Ahh, what do I do? WhatdoIdo!" She pulled at her ponytail, and then blinked to herself, "Okay, I think the head-injury's making me a bit weird. But that's still not important!"

She stared across at the ocean forlornly; even if she rode on a jet, it would still take hours before they got into the same country as Kyo! She clenched her fists tightly at her sides, lowering her head and squeezing her eyes shut. She had to think of something – Kyo needed her! She tried to focus on his face, his aura, in an attempted to keep herself focused. Kyo…

Eris suddenly felt as if the whole world jerked sideways beneath her, and she opened her eyes with a start, swaying as she caught her balance.

A car drove through her. Eris scowled, moving to shake a fist at whoever dared interrupt her at such a desperate time. But then she paused. The scenery had changed. Suddenly, the whole area was much more familiar. Slowly, she turned her head around, eyes resting on a familiar bouquet attached to a road guard behind her. There was a golden apple, the colour faded, in its center.

But the picture in front of her was also a little different to the one she pictured. She stared for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly watered. She spun around, and jumped into the next car that appeared.

Eris glared, eyes a pair of angry slits. Just as soon as she made sure Kyo was okay, she'd teach Akito what she thought of his little exorcising idea.

And if Kyo _wasn't_ okay… Well, then she'd get _mad_.

* * *

End FlashBack

* * *

"That's what happened. I think I ended up in America because that's where my body's buried. But Akito's 'friend' didn't do a full exorcism, so there wasn't enough power to send my any further."

Kyo nodded, "And the jump?"

"I've no idea, I've never done it before."

"Hey, you're a ghost. Gravity and physical objects don't apply to you, maybe distance doesn't either."

Eris looked at Kyo was mock-horror, "You mean I didn't have to spent all that time on long flights with bad movies and no snacks!"

"You didn't get snacks? What cheap airline were you with?"

"The stewards were always really rude to me, too – ignoring me and walking through me…"

Kyo didn't say anything, lips twitching into an amused smile.

There was a companionable silence again, and then Eris spoke, "Hey, NeKyo?"

"What now?"

"Thanks – it really meant something to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"The golden apple was a nice touch – and the kitty."

Kyo didn't answer, instead staring at the stars. He knew what she was talking about now, what she'd seen when she'd ended up on the highway – he'd placed a new bouquet next to the one her family had put there. They were almost identical. Except one; the one whose golden apple was still shiny, also had a small, orange figurine of a cat next to the apple.

The silence was broken when Shigure called out from below, "Kyo? There you are! 'Tori's been looking everywhere for you – shame on you, giving him so much trouble. Come down and go back to bed. If you're good, maybe Ayame can get Tohru to wear a nurse's outfit when she comes to see you!"


	39. Doctors

**Chapter 39 **

**TT:** Hey everyone! Shigure sure spoiled the moment last chapter, huh?

Sorry that I'm updating a little later than usual, but I have a good excuse for that! I caught a 24-hour bug, so I was sick. Sick! ON MY BIRTHDAY! How cruel the world is _:sniffs:_

Okay, I'm done acting like Shigure, and my birthday's been and gone. I was well enough that evening to go out to dinner and have a pretty good time, so there's no point in complaining any longer. **Happy 18th to me! **

Sooooo… What did you all get me?

Soozen – I don't mind you borrowing the ideas I've brought forward at all. (Though, if any of my regular reviewers read your work, you'd better be ready to explain that I _did_ say you could, I understand that some people can get nasty if they think you're stealing ideas)

SillyLittleNothing – So, can you guess what's going on here?

XxFallenxX – I'm reluctant to but romance into this story. Its focus is platonic friendship, the bond between Kyo and Eris and, at times, watching Akito suffer. Well, that's what I say, but in reality I just can't write romance.

Pagegrrl – Ehehe, yes, I'm prone to not noticing typos. And no, I haven't got a beta.

DragonLady – I thought about it being astral projection, but it's probably just a ghost thing in the end.

* * *

Hatori sighed in frustration – there had been no change in Akito's status yet, and while he knew that people could spend years in comas, he found himself that the God of the Sohma family was being difficult on purpose.

Kyo had been recovering well; another week and he'd allow the teen to go to school – with Tohru keeping an eye on the cat to make sure he didn't push himself. And if the damage he'd done to Shigure the other night was any sign, his strength was returning as well.

The dragon nodded to Shigure's dramatic greeting, pried himself out of Ayame's hug – vaguely, he wondered what the snake was doing there – before walking up the stairs to check on his other major patient.

There was the sound of shouting from inside Kyo's room, and Hatori wondered if Yuki was bothering the cat again. It seemed that a lack of pranks from Eris had made the rat even edgier than when they were a daily occurrence, and Hatori had spotted the rat demanding the weakened cat tell him what the ghost's plan was once before.

However, when he opened the door, he found that there was no grey-haired cousin the room. In fact, the room appeared to be completely empty, save for Kyo and a tabby cat that was sitting outside near the window.

"I don't care _what_ you say politicians do, you can't just take money even if you _are_ the bank!" A slight pause, "NO! You don't get a salary either – I'm winning and there's no way I'm letting you - " There was another pause, as if the cat had been cut off, but this pause was longer. Finally, Kyo growled, "Fine! If you get a salary, then I get to steal from the bank!" With those words, the cat leaned over to grab some play-money from inside the game's box and, after playing tug-of-war over it with someone Hatori couldn't see ("You're going to rip them!") but it with his own share.

It was then, and only then, that Hatori cleared his throat and made his presence known.

The cat looked up from the board game, startled, before scowling, ""What do you want? I'm in bed, aren't I?"

"What are you playing?"

"Monopoly. Or some really whacked-out version of it." There was a pause as Kyo's stolen 'money' sudden began to float on its own, and Kyo proceeded to have another tug-of-war to get it back. Hatori watched in silence, finding the whole scene rather disturbing, as Kyo's head suddenly snapped around to look at someone he couldn't see, "What're you whining to Hatori for? You cheated _first_!"

The said dragon began approaching the bed, but paused as his foot hit something. He looked down; scatter across the floor were several-discarded board-game boxes, several of which had _'Not with Eris!_' scrawled on a side. The dragon looked up at the cat, who had glanced over when Hatori started moving.

The cat shrugged, "We got bored, and you won't let me do anything and – Eris, that is the _worst_ pun I've ever heard! If it would actually have some effect, I'd hit you right now. No, I am _not_ exaggerating."

The professional doctor within Hatori once again began to mentally make sure that the pain medication he'd prescribed the orange-haired teen didn't include hallucinations.

About an hour later, which much argument, wrestling, lewd comments when Shigure Ayame had come in to see what was going on, and random bursts of yelling from Kyo that was directed at Eris, Hatori had managed to finish checking Kyo's wounds again. Now, he was very much relieved to say, he could go back to his own home for a well-earned break.

At least, as soon as Shigure and Ayame let him go and stopped trying to convince him that alcohol would make him feel better. Kyo and Eris sat on Kyo's bed, game forgotten, watching as Hatori picked his way along the floor of the cat's bedroom, despite the fact there was one grown man clinging to his legs, and another that was practically on his back.

"Oh! Oooh, NeKyo, I just remembered! Ask him – ask him!"

"Ask him what?" Hatori had paused, looking back, just in case he did in fact turn out to be 'him'. Shigure and Ayame didn't seem to hear the cat, and simply used Hatori's distraction to get a better grip on the dragon.

"You know! The thing I was talking about earlier, with the cats."

"Ooh, _that_. Hey, Hatori? Eris wants to know what the 'Funny Bright White-ish Twisty Orb Thing-y' inside Akito's soul is – Hey, Eris, are you sure it was Akito's soul; maybe he doesn't have one."

Hatori blinked, and looked confused, before wordlessly shaking his head. "Why did Eris want to know?"

Kyo shrugged, "Eris said that the cats – well, uh, no, never mind – the cats did something to it when they attacked Akito, and then the orb - " Here he paused slightly, looking at Eris, before rolling his eyes, "- Alright, the 'Funny Bright White-ish Twisty Orb Thing-y' then, was all shredded. But she doesn't know what it is, so she doesn't know what they've done." Kyo suddenly smirked, "Eris _hates_ not knowing things, I swear she obsesses over it until she finds out."

Hatori frowned, shaking his head again, "I don't know… Thank you for telling me, however."

And with that, Hatori stepped around the last of the boxes – not an easy feat with two adult men clinging too you, no matter how much experience at it you've head – and walked out the door.

Before promptly tripping over as Shigure put a foot in the wrong spot, and falling flat onto his face.


	40. POV

**Chapter 40 **

For anyone who doesn't know, a female cat is called a 'Queen', hence the use of the word in this chapter.

To celebrate the fact I've gotten 100 favourites to this story, I've done something a bit different, but I hope everyone will like it.

Oh, to heck with acting calm: **I LOVE YOU GUYS!** 100 favourites, woah! When I first started this story, I never even expected to get a tenth of that! As much as I'd like to give everyone an individual thank-you, I don't have that much time, and I doubt everyone has that much patience.

So, I'll just say 'Thank you', again; you guys are my inspiration for this story, and I can't really express how much it pleases me to know you like it so much.

**DragonLady** – I don't think Eris has played video games – the closest she's come is cheering Kyo on when he plays them.

**PurpleAjah** – I think Shigure and Ayame feel a little left out, because Hatori's been so busy. P

**Pagegrrl **– Hmm, I've never been so lucky with monopoly. Hence why I once proposed that, as the banker, I get a salary! It didn't get any further than that, though.

**Mousewolf** – Maybe it was! P Not that Hatori will admit it, though.

**Kashuneko** – Aww, I feel sorry for you. You're plans got all cancelled!

**i-luv-the-cat-sohma52** – hankt ouy!

**Klove** – I suspect it was something to do with being bored with board games.

**Charlotte Senpai** – Sorry, no FF7 crossover. Eris is named after the Greek Goddess of mischief; the similarity to the name 'Aeris' is just a coincidence.

**Sillylittlenothing** – All has been revealed!

**cheeky doggie** – I think Hatori _believes_ in Eris, but finds her hard to get used to.

* * *

He remembered darkness. 

Darkness, broken by flashes of light before that deep, dank darkness returned.

He heard sounds, though he couldn't remember them now. They were high, quick sounds, like a kitten's cry for its mother, swallowed up by the shadows.

The scent – yes, he could remember the scent – murky, cold, unchanging and full of hate, tainted with an ancient bitterness.

He saw things, things from a world he could scarcely remember, come and gone as fast as those flashes of light. He'd seen rats and mice, a sight that filled him with pure fury. He saw them, but before he finished his pounce, they were gone, leaving nothing but bones and shadows in their wake.

But, in the end, all of these things faded from his senses, leaving only the darkness that was filled with pent-up emotions. And somewhere, beyond the darkness, something had happened. Something was always happening, a never-ending occurrence, it had been happening for a very long time – Yes, that was it. Time passed; strange, he'd almost forgotten what time was, it didn't exist in this darkness.

One instant in a while, there was a flare. A sudden flare of power that filled his being to the brim and burst out. It was only a single moment, but once in a while that flare came, magnifying his lament a thousand fold. That power, raw and powerful, coloured both white and black at the same time, rose through him, surging through every fibre of his being, and he opened his mouth to howl –

Stop!

Wait.

The world snapped into focus, slowly down in a way it hadn't in what suddenly seemed to be centuries.

There was a boy, standing outside the darkness, peering in on them, eyes holding no fear. The orange-haired boy seemed to stare directly at him. Behind him, half-hidden by the boy, was a ghost, peering at him with what was mostly fear, but a small part of which was sympathy.

Then, he howled. The world trembling under the force. The queen-ghost ducked back, but the boy didn't move. Somewhere in the depths of his soul, was something most ghosts would never be able to identify. But it twisted, stirred.

This boy, he wasn't a boy. He was one of the kittens. He cried out again, and then watched as one of the kittens drifted from the darkness, and spoke to the runt, using sounds and words he couldn't remember.

But that wasn't important, the kitten wasn't important, the queen-ghost wasn't important. All that was important, all that mattered, was his rage, his anguish, and letting the world hear his cry. He lifted his head from the darkness, and howled again, until the stars wept his sorrow.

The kitten and the queen-ghost ran, and for good reason. He continued to howl, until at last, the power faded, sparking away, and he sank deep into the darkness once more.

Time didn't have a chance to fade. The queen-ghost returned soon, and spoke; to the kittens, and to him. Asking questions, trying to understand, giving sympathy and understanding that came centuries too late.

But she said she'd help. Not for the kittens in the darkness, not for him. For the runt, the youngest kitten in the litter. He snorted, and turned away from the queen-ghost, returning to the darkness again.

Then, there had been something… strange. He's seen the runt enter the main house, where they'd been forbidden to go; watched the queen-ghost go after the runt. Then, there had been a great spiking in power, which radiated from one source and empowered all that it touched. The kittens meowed their curiosity.

He rose to his feet, and, with the grace of a killer, went to watch.

He found the runt, lying transformed near the feet of the creature which made his anger boil beyond even that from the sight of a rodent. But, standing between them, bursting with power and defending the runt, was the queen-ghost. Ice glistened in the air, and had begun to cover the floor, and the God before them.

He'd said nothing as the queen-ghost dealt out her punishment to the God, before letting her power dissipate. He'd agreed without hesitation to be her eyes over the God, almost desiring to see the situation repeat itself.

And, for a time, everything was calm.

Then, without warning, the God had done… something. He couldn't say what – he had simply felt the queen-ghost be torn apart, before her presence faded from his mind.

The kittens around him had paused, looking up, yowling in confusion and seeking his guidance. He himself had simply stood still, hair on end, until the queen-ghost's presence had suddenly returned, stronger than before, anger vibrating off her in waves.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. He'd gone, following the power he could feel, to see the situation for himself. He didn't have to look back to know the kittens were following.

He himself was very old, and had seen a few possessions in his time; so it didn't take him long to work out what was happening. One of the kittens meowed a question to him, but was silenced by an older kitten with a pat on the nose.

He was content to simply watch whatever punishment the queen-ghost choose to inflict upon the being that had, for centuries, try to collar the cat. He would have been pleased to witness the god's fall at the hands of this being. But a part of him desired to claim his own vengance, and that part of his was much stronger than whatever in him was content to simply watch.

The ghost-queen had looked up at his call, and then said something to the god was her feet, before moving away, leaving him to them.

Around him, the kittens tensed, moving into couched positions, waiting for him to give them a signal they could begin their hunt.

His eyes gleamed as he stalked forward towards the weakened creature. Then, he lashed out. And around him, chaos began, as his kittens began to tear the creature, and the god-spirit inside him, to shreds.

Time had still slowed, and he watched as the dragon entered the main house each day, baffled to the strange weakness that creature had received at his claws. If only the dragon cared to ask, he could have answered in an instant – the god's spirit itself, residing inside the creature's own soul, was shredded and weakened, possibly dying, at his claws.

He allowed that feeling of satisfaction and pride to linger in his mind for a few more moments, before he yawned, picked his way through the darkness into the center of the slumbering kittens, and curled up into a ball.

After a few moments, for the first time in centuries, the first cat began to purr.


	41. Education

**Chapter 41**

**TT:** I suspect I should be studying for my English Essay that I have to write tomorrow, but really, how do you study for an essay on 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'?

Everyone who wants me to explain the last chapter: Sorry, but that's not happening! See, its meant to be confusing, and you have to read it hard to get everything from it. It's told in 3rd person, but from the _POV of the first cat_. The kitty's gone a little crazy, so he uses some odd terms, hence the confusion. However, he also knows more about the current situation than anyone else.

Queen-ghost is Eris. She's female (Queen is a female cat) and she's a ghost.

The kittens are the other cats of the Sohma.

Runt refers to Kyo, as he is the smallest and youngest of the kittens thus far.

The creature/the God refers to Akito.

'He' is generally used to refer to the first cat.

Sorry, that's all the hint I'm going to give you (Hey, that's a lot of help!)

**DragonLady:** Not even I'm sure if the first cat is the original cat or the first to be possessed by the cat. It's possible that the first cat is both. (Shh!)

**Treska SilverFlame:** To be honest, plot is meant to be a little hazy. Just like Eris herself, the story is designed to sidetrack. Thanks for the grade! (Its tons better than my school grades)

**Chaos Tears:** Heh, thanks. As I said, I wanted something very different, and the POV of the cat seemed like a great way to go.

**Cheeky Doggie:** The cat is the only one who can explain in detail; he's the only one that really understands it all.

* * *

"Get the doctor-dragon, quick! Kyo's very, very sick! HE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING TO SCHOOL!" 

The said cat winced, "Not in my ear, Eris. I like my hearing."

"Eh, oh, sorry Kyo. But you can't _really_ want to go back to school, can you? It means work! And homework! And grumpy teachers! And _MATHS_!" The ghost pulled at Kyo's hair gently with each sentence.

"I want _out__of this house_."

"So, lets go back to the mountains for some weird training trip with your Shisho – not school, anything but school; you're trying to kill me!"

Kyo gave her a flat stare, "You're already dead."

"That's racist – oh, wait, no, its not, is it? And it's not sexist either… Well, it must be something 'ist'! You're using my physical state against my arguments."

"Aren't _I_ the one who's supposed to have a fit about going back to school? I wouldn't thought you were looking forward to getting that prank on Yuki's fan club underway."

A pause, "I forgot about that! Wait here, Kyo, I need to get some stuff!" She dived through a wall. A moment later, she sheepishly stuck her head back through to look at the cat, "Uhh, can you come and put the stuff I need in your schoolbag for me?"

Shaking his head, Kyo obediently grabbed his schoolbag and followed the ghost.

* * *

Kyo stared up at the familiar building in front of him, apprehension growing inside him. Already, he could feel the eyes of students – females particularly – on him, and heard whispers as they glanced in his directions; crazy theories on why he'd been gone. Briefly, he thought back to the real reason, and decided that maybe those theories weren't so crazy. 

"You were right, Eris. I want to go back home."

"Too late for that, Kyo. We're here now." She struck a pose, "_Onward_! To the great bowels of the forbidden lands, we shall fight our way through deadly perils – like homework and oral presentations – until we find the Holy Grail of Pranksters."

"What's the holy grail of pranksters?"

"I don't know. An album full of pictures of Yuki in a dress, probably. Either that, or the almighty prankster book, by me, that I haven't written yet. And next time, say it with the capitals!"

"…What?"

"Never mind. Let's go in, I have to find the fan club's lockers!"

"This is either going to be a very loooong day, or a very entertaining one."

Squaring his shoulders, Kyo entered the school. The scent of perfume assaulted him as a girl dived over to him, speaking animatedly about how he'd been, and asking why he hadn't been in school. Gagging at the scent, Kyo walked quickly away from the girl, until he lost her in the crowd. He barely had time to breath, before another female approached him.

"Looks like it's going to be a very long day, after all."

* * *

The day went generally slowly – Kyo divided his time between avoiding girls who wanted to ask how he'd been, and why he hadn't been at school, and actually attempting to learn something in his classes.

That isn't to say, however, that there weren't moments of amusement. Before class even started, the three main members of the Yuki fan club had opened their lockers; only to have paint literally explode and cover them head to foot, in bright green and pink. Judging by the squeals, Kyo had to guess that the colour combination was forbidden.

Apparently, however, that hadn't been the only prank – later the fan club had discovered that someone had put mud in their gym shoes, their bags had somehow been rigged to give off a sound that was similar to a fire-alarm whenever they were jostled, and there had been some kind of dust, sprinkled on their spare hairbrushes, that had turned their hair blue.

Kyo had merely raised an eyebrow at Eris when he heard all this, "Been bored, much?"

"Well, I was going to replace their spray-on deodorant with some bad-smelling stuff as well, but I decided that it would be mean."

"And this isn't?"

Eris looked horrified, "Of course it isn't! This is just the warm up round – I have not yet begun to prank!"

"…Eris, that's enough for today. Even Yuki didn't have to deal with all this in one day."

"Aww. Alright, fine. I'm going to see if I can find that photo album of Yuki in a dress – I'll be back for chemistry!"

The ghost had disappeared through the floor; leaving Kyo alone for maths.

However, despite those moments of entertainment, the rest of the day had been dull and boring, seconds taking hours to tick by. It seemed to Kyo that he'd been trapped inside the stuffy classroom for an eternity before he was finally allowed to leave and go home.

Kyo, relieved to be out in the sun again, stretch heavily as he made his way out of school grounds, looking suspiciously like the cat he was supposed to be. Eris, practically bouncing off walls that she was no longer trapped between, was talking animatedly to her friend, despite the fact they both knew he was only half listening.

"So, I didn't find the Holy Grail of Pranksters, but that's okay, because you're stuck going there for another couple of years, and I'm not leaving you there on your own because if I do they'll be no one to defend you against the attempts to brainwash you that the teachers and principal try – hey, do you think that there's some kind of sublimal message in the daily announcements that the principal gives out over the speakers every day? Maybe we should look into that – like spies or something! I get to number 49! We could stake out the school or something – eh?"

Both Eris and Kyo stopped, looking in the direction of the main Sohma house with confusion. The cats around Kyo also stopped, watching and listening, before they relaxed, settling down where they were and mimicking the sound they could hear, until it echoed through the air across the whole city.

The Cats of the Sohma were purring.


	42. Reason

**Chapter 42 **

**TT**: Sorry if this chapter's a little shorter than usual, guys. Truth be told, this story is growing closer and closer to its completion, but I don't want to finish!

Oh, and for anyone who doesn't work it out - this continues from straight after the last chapter.

Klove - yeah, it was meant to be slightly confusing. The idea was that I gave people a chance to try and work out the translations on their own, and then in enough people complained, I give them the answers.

Pouasson - I'm glad you're enjoying this fic! My exams are in a few weeks, so you have my sympathy. In the mean time, now you can feel impatient for chapter 43! (Also - I love , hehe)

PurpleAjah - I read all the reviews asking me to update, and then I feel guilty when I take too long. P

Ja ne, Kat - There are some things that I, as a writer, just can't find the words to explain properly. Such as Kyo's discussion with the first cat. So I'll leave it to my reader's amazing imaginations!

Cheeky doggie - I don't think she was so bad with rambling when she was alive, but she's gotten used to having no one but herself to talk to.

Watevr - Don't worry, you're review's fine. Just tell me what you like/dislike about a story, and nag me to update - its what everyone does!

* * *

"Hey, NeKyo, do you think something's happening? Or did someone just put catnip near the cats – eh? NeKyo? NeKyo!" The ghost waved a hand in front of her friend.

Kyo slowly turned to look at Eris, eyes half-closed, and a small, content smile on his face, his whole posture relaxed, "Hmm?"

"Not you too, NeKyo! What's the deal?"

Kyo shrugged, "Nothing. Just… happy."

"But why? Come on, NeKyo, I hate being left in the dark! And the only other time I've seen you like this is that one time we found some catnip growing wild." Eris growled when Kyo simply shrugged again, leaning back on a wall and tilting his head up towards the sunbeams. "Alright, that's it – lets go see what the heck's happening over there!"

"Hmm? Wha?"

Eris had already grabbed Kyo's arm, and was trying to pull him towards the Sohma estate, "To see what's got the cats so happy – if we're going to start purring, I want to know the reason."

"Eris, you can't purr."

The ghost paused, thinking for a moment, before shrugging, "Loki always told me I can't sing, either, but that's never stopped me."

* * *

Kyo and Eris were only mildly surprised to find Kisa within eyesight of the cat's cage, with a rather confused and resigned Hiro in tow. The sheep had looked up and Kyo and, with a scowl, proceeded to remind the cat he wasn't allowed on the Sohma estate. Kyo's – rather heavy – hard-cover chemistry book mysterly disappeared from his bag, hovered over Hiro's head for a second, and fell the meter or so with a loud 'thud'. 

Kyo, however, completely ignored Hiro, leaving down so that he could speak to Kisa, "How long have you been here?"

Kisa shrugged, and made an indication that she'd only just gotten there. She never let her eyes stray from the cage, staring at it with eyes that were both confused and curious.

"Anything happen, yet?"

Kisa shook her head, looking up at the orange-haired teen, "What's going on?"

Kyo paused, patting the girl on the head a little vaguely, eyes on the cage in front of him, "That's why Eris dragged me here – to find out." He stood up straight again, eying the building in front of him with some kind of apprehension. There were various cats around, including a tortiseshell that Kyo was sure he'd met before. They were sitting near the rarely-opened door, on the windowsills, on the roof, content to simply bask in the contentness that the rumbling from within gave them. If not for the feeling that the building itself have him, Kyo would have been tempted to join them.

"Uh, NeKyo? It's not like it can come alive and eat you, so that you're trapped inside it."

Kyo gave Eris a wry glance, "It _might_."

"Hey, I thought I was the one who was supposed to say things like that."

Kyo shook his head, and approaching the building, the sound of deep purring growing louder in his ears. He paused, glancing in a window.

Cats, that was all he could see inside, apart from one of two humanoid ghosts near the walls, cats curled up against one another, like kittens of the same litter. Ghosts who had remained for so long, that they'd forgotten how to keep their human forms, and had only their feline ones left.

And, in the center of the pile, with all his fur-colour faded and the tips of his ears, tail and paws wispy and transparent, was the first cat, eyes open and gazing right at Kyo. The youngest of the Sohma cats had to fight the urge to stand up straighter.

From where she was leaning over Kyo, Eris smiled, and gave a small wave. Both the ghost-cat and Kyo ignored her, causing her to first scowl, and then shrug.

And then, the cat spoke. He wasn't speaking with any human language, but at the same time Kyo knew very well it wasn't cat – he _knew_ how to speak cat, but that wasn't it. However, considering Kyo could understand everything that was said, that left only one possibility… A possibility he didn't want to think about, that he wanted to pretend didn't exist, but a possibility he knew and found he had to accept all the same. The language the first cat was speaking, was the language of the form Kyo took when -

Red eyes flicked down at the beads on his wrist against their owner's will. Kyo shook his head. Refusing to go down that train of thought, Kyo stood still again, eyes on the wizened cat in front of him, utterly silent as he listened.

Eris looked confused, and frustrated at not being able to understand what was going on. By the time the first cat had finished speaking, the ghost-girl was pouting. "NeKyoo, what did he say?"

For a moment, Kyo didn't answer. Then, he turned to her, expression almost vague, as if he were in shock.

"The God is dying."


	43. Walks

**Chapter 43 **

**TT**: I have exams, starting next week, that I really, really, _really_ should be studying for… … But fanfiction is just so much more rewarding and _fun_!

**Dark-Shigure** – Hey, nice to hear from you again… Picture? Did I hear/read 'picture'? You've gone and excited me… and Eris –

**Eris**: Kyo! I'm famous!

**Kyo:** We're on chapter 43, and you thought no one could remember who you are?

**SillyLittleNothing** – I'm not going to answer your questions, so naah! _:sticks out tongue:_ Heh, joking. I just don't want to give away any spoilers.

**Kyo:** That usually means she hasn't decided yet.

**Chii **– Me, a god? _:blinks, then blushes: _Aw, thanks!

**Dark Inu Fan** – It's possible it's the first step in breaking the curse in the zodiac, and weakens their animal forms somewhat. Other than that, I'm not sure.

**Watevr** – Congrats on giving me the first review for the previous chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

* * *

"Dying? But I thought that we already knew The Creature was going to die; he was so sick, after all."

Kyo gave the ghost a look that easy said '_you are an idiot_', "Not Akito – well, maybe, they don't care about him any more – the _God_. The spirit of the God is dying – he won't be reincarnated into another body, or at least they don't think so. They said that the - "

"Funny Bright White-ish Twisty Orb Thing-y."

" – Yeah, whatever. That was the spirit of the God, the part that keeps coming back and back again. They… hurt it, somehow. And now it's dying. Akito's the _last_ of the Sohma Gods, or at least the cats think so."

Eris opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Hiro's cry of "What?" The pair looked down at Kyo's small cousins, both having forgotten they were there. There eyes were wide, staring at the orange-haired teenager in disbelief.

"Hey, NeKyo; does Baa-Baa Black Sheep think you said something blasphemous? 'Cause the last time I remember someone looking at someone else quite like that, they'd said that, oh, I don't remember. Something about Revelations I think."

Kyo waved a hand in the ghost's direction; a movement that meant something along the lines of (to quote Eris) '_Shut up before you make my ears bleed. I'm in the middle of something really important – most likely a test that I'm about to flunk – and I don't want to get sent to the school-counselor for talking to myself again, it was traumatizing enough the last time_.'

The ghost obediently stopped talking, and instead began to pout, and then floating into the cage behind them to talk to the sleepy ghosts within.

Kyo looked back at Kisa and Hiro, who were still standing in front of him, eyes disbelieving. Exasperated, the cat gave a shrug, "Look, that's what _he_ said, alright. I wouldn't have a clue."

Not sure what to say to that, Hiro tried to think of firmer ground, "You're not supposed to be here."

Kisa tugged at Hiro's shirtsleeve, her attempt to scold him for being so rude to the older feline. Hiro hugged, and turned his head away stubbornly.

Kyo rolled his eyes, "Alright, fine – I've found out what I wanted to know, anyway. Soon as 'Eris is done talking about whatever it is ghosts talk about, I'm going home; I have homework." He suddenly paused, glancing over his shoulder, and then sighed, rolling his eyes, "No, we are not getting ice-cream on the way home. We got ice cream yesterday. Are you done, yet?" Apparently getting a confirmative, Kyo patted Kisa only the head gently as a goodbye, and walked away. A chill past through the pair as Eris followed.

Kisa waved to the pair as they left, then glanced back at the cage for a moment longer, before she let Hiro pull her away from the area.

Back in the darkness of the cage, the first cat licked a paw, and proceeded to clean his ears for a moment, before settling back down to sleep, pausing only savor the feeling on triumph over their capture for another moment. He closed his eyes and, once again, began to purr in sync with his kittens.

* * *

"So, how many people do you think have heard that you were in the estate grounds, talking to a bunch of ghosts about how the Creature is dying, so far?"

"That depends; if Kisa and Hiro only told Hatori, then only a few. But if they told Momiji – or Haru, because Haru would tell Momiji – then Momiji would have told Tohru, Tohru would have told Yuki and Shigure, and Shigure would have teamed up with Ayame to tell everyone."

There was a pause, as the pair began to think about which of the two options was more likely. "The chances of Sheepy having told Hopper are slimmer, but they fit in better with Murphy's Law."

"And my life."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't want to say that bit."

They were silent for the rest of the journey home, and only paused when they saw a familiar car parked outside the house. From inside, they could faintly hear Shigure's overly dramatic voice crying that 'Tori was ignoring him!'

The pair shared a glance between them. "Well, even if Hatori was the only other one to know, he won't be for long – Shigure's going to be on the phone all night long."

Eris grinned, "He's probably after an excuse – I understand that his editor wanted a manuscript off him last week."

"So _that's_ why the phone was disconnected the other day." He paused, giving Hatori's car a look that suggested he was wishing for it to disappear. It didn't.

Eris pulled on Kyo's arm, "Come on, let's go face the music."

"Let's not and say we did."

Resigned to his fate, Kyo allowed himself to be pulled to the front porch. It was a very strange sight, to see Kyo trying to pull away from some invisible for that had a hold of his upper arm and was pulling him along; but it was also a surprisingly common one around Shigure's house, and none of the wildlife thought anything of it anymore. It was just one of those human-cat things.

The front door opened; Shigure and Hatori looked out of the living room where they had been waiting as Kyo came in. Kyo glanced at the expression on Hatori's face, and groaned, "Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. I've got some explaining to do, right?" There was a slight pause, as Kyo looked at the empty space near his shoulder, "Good cop bad…? Don't encourage the stupid mutt!"

Shigure clapped his hands together, looking at the dragon, "That's a great idea! Oh, Hatori, can't we please do you good cop-bad cop routine, please? I've always wanted to try it – so has Aya! I could call him up, and all the Mabudachi Trio could try it together! Just like old times, do you remember?"

Hatori looked at Shigure out of the corner of his good eye, "I remember that you haven't had your flu vaccination, yet."

"Eep!"


	44. Because

**Chapter 44 **

TT: Once again, I'm trying something a little different this chapter, so let me know what you think of it.

Now, I have to go back to studying for that maths exam… and that history exam… and that chemistry one, too… So thanks to everyone who wished me luck – I'm going to need it!

Pouasson – I'm not sure whether Akito's going to live or die yet, so we'll have to wait and see. (Now, _why_ can't I find the word 'gros' in my old French-English dictionary?)

SillyLittleNothing – that's because you ask question I have made up answers too yet. :P

Pagegrrl – all things come to an end; trying to make them hang around beyond their life span is generally just irritating.

Klove – Its always nice to know that Eris is popular – the last thing I want is a pure MarySue running rampant in my story!

PurpleAjah – Maybe I'll see about writing up a fun chapter about the time Kyo went to the school counselor. For now, I'll just agree that _just before_ your exams is _not_ the best time to start a fanfic (I've done it, too!)

Leiko Hiroko – Yep, Momiji is 'Hopper'… and 'Bugs/Bugs Bunny'… and probably a few other nicknames as well.

BlueSiver-soul – The pranks… Often I come up with them on the spot. _:Sweatdrop:_

Once, Kisa had asked Kyo 'Why Eris?'

Why had Kyo allowed himself to be befriended by her – a ghost, with a mischievous streak that had seemed almost sadistic to Yuki at times – why had Kyo allowed himself to bond with her in a way he hadn't bonded with anyone else, except perhaps Kazumi. Why not, say, Tohru? Why _Eris?_

Kyo had paused to think about the question for a few moments, pondering his own reasonings, before shrugging. 'Because she's Eris, I suppose.'

Eris, who despite being dead, was one of the liveliest people he knew.

Eris, who was energetic beyond even that of Momiji, who had given him the most humiliating nickname in the history of his family.

Eris, who never _shut up_ and who always had one more tune that would get stuck in your head forever.

Eris, who was capable of being the most annoying being on the planet when the mood took her.

Eris, who always seemed to rig or cheat at whatever game they played, no matter how impossible it seemed to be.

Eris, who, since the moment they met, had followed him everywhere (except the bathroom, after one embarrassing incident), no matter what he did to try and get her to leave him alone. Eris, who stuck to him like glue.

Eris… whose loyalty knew no bounds. Eris, whose capability to understand, to accept, to be _indifferent_ to his greatest shames overwhelmed him every time he thought about it.

Eris, who knew when silence was needed, who knew that at times all Kyo needed was to know she'd be there behind his shoulder, like a strange kind of guardian angel.

Eris, whose pranks to Yuki had made him laugh wholeheartedly for the first time in _so many_ years. Eris, whose smile and sense of humor was contagious.

Eris, who knew no fear - because she'd already gone through death, and there was nothing left the world, could show her that she hadn't seen already – and who wouldn't let you be afraid, either.

Eris, whose rage was the most terrifying thing around, whose protection was the most powerful thing he'd ever seen – greater than even the power Akito held over their lives.

Eris, who well and truly lived up to her name as the goddess of chaos, and yet even that was nothing to how greatly she lived up to her duty as a friend.

The one person – or maybe it was one of two, Kyo realized as he thought of his Shisho – that Kyo desperately wished would never, ever change, even the slightest bit. These were 'Eris things'. The things that made Eris, Eris. And that, Kyo realized, he was extremely grateful.

Once, the first cat – whose name had long been forgotten to even he himself – had asked Eris 'Why Kyo?'

Why did she choose to spend time, to befriend, this human. Who would age; perhaps have a family of his own, who would grow old, who would die. Who one day may be forced to shun her to the side so that he could live his life properly. Why did she choose to befriend the _cat_, who was loathed and hated? Why choose this boy, who was rude, brash, angry at the world, and who was responsibly for Eris' near destruction.

Eris didn't pause, "Because he's Kyo. And that's that!"

Kyo, whose temper was legendary, and whose tongue often caused grief to all parties involved with his rage.

Kyo, who was the cat, and so was scorned by his entire family.

Kyo, who resorted to violence far too quickly, and far too often was beaten by Yuki for doing so.

Kyo, whose stubbornness knew no bounds.

Kyo, who still had only the flimsiest understanding about how chemistry's stoichiometry worked.

Kyo… who was desperately hurting inside, and wore a mask of confidence and, at times, fury to hide.

Kyo, who often seemed to have one of the lowest self-esteems she'd ever seen. But only when no one else was around to see that mask break.

Kyo, who was shunned for no good reason she could see, and whose own family had no qualms with turning his back on.

Kyo, who accepted her without hesitation, despite the fact she was dead, because he had treated her just like he treated anyone alive.

Kyo, whose smile was enough to make up for any words he said in a fit of anger, and whose laugh often seemed to be one of the most beautiful things she'd ever heard.

Kyo, who had cried in her arms when that mask finally broke. Who had _let_ her see him without his mask.

Kyo, capable of being so unbelievably gentle that Eris wouldn't believe it herself, had she not been there when she watch as the cat carefully took the newborn kittens from their dead mother, and hadn't left them or stopped to rest until he'd found another mother cat to adopt them.

Kyo, who had helped and protected her as much as she had done for him, even if he didn't realize it.

Eris had never needed to wonder _why_, she'd known from the first moment she'd seen Kyo's eyes sparkled with laughter, and seen his soul bared before her in those eyes, reminding her of a precious ruby. Kyo was Kyo, and that had always been enough.

One day, Kyo thought, he would like to ask Akito 'Why him?' Why did he choose to torment and forsake the redhead as he did? Was being the cat really, truly, as horrible as Akito acted as if it was? Why Kyo?

Had Akito heard the question, he would have thought very hard, for a very long time, before finally answer that _he didn't_ _know_.

Once, what seemed to be a very long time ago, there had been a reason. It had been there, in his mind, whispering whenever he even glanced at the cat's cage. But now, now he couldn't remember. And so the only answer he could give was 'because'.

And, since Akito was Akito, 'because' would have been the only answer he needed to give.

Once, Eris had asked the spirit of the God, as it hovered near death, in the edge of Akito's mind, where it could exists as a separate identity, '_Why_.' Why Kyo? Why the cats?

The God had remained silent for a long time, thinking hard and carefully, before answering.

Because the cats were independent, strong, they didn't need him. They had made him feel powerless, because they looked at him with the gaze of a superior, just as they looked to everyone. And the God had wanted to tear that away, make them fear him, make them bow to him. He had only ever half-succeeded.

Because, he supposed, they were cats.

Eris had remained there, reflecting over this answer for a period, before leaving, returning to the cat's side. Leaving the God alone, as he died.


	45. Loss

**Chapter 45 **

**TT: **Hey everyone, how are you doing? I'm meant to be studying for chemistry, but you can only study chromatography for so long before you swear you're about to go crazy.

A couple of people have sent me messages, because a story known as '_NeKyo and Iris_', which was too similar to my own for them to believe was a coincidence.

I messaged the author, who apologized that the two stories seemed too similar, and to my knowledge the story has now been removed.

Thanks to everyone who sent me a message; its nice to know people are watching my back! (Oh, and to anyone who knew, but didn't message me because they thought I'd have already been told, don't let that stop you from messaging in future – I'd prefer to be reminded many times than not told at all)

**Dark Inu Fan** – a calm, reflective period before the storm hits, perhaps?

**Edakumi:** I knew I couldn't have been the only one who'd wondered!

**Cheeky Doggie**: Yes, Eris' loyalty is meant to be her most redeeming feature

**Dudette**: I'm glad you liked it so much. There _is_ plot in that last chapter; you just have to squint because it's so slow.

**Karen**: Thank you! I'm very pleased with how the last chapter came out, myself. Depth, especially character depth, is important to me.

**PurpleAjah:**I'm going to be writing a series of Omakes to go with the story when I've finished it, aren't I? Oh, and have a tissue for that gravy.

**Baow**: Yay, I've corrupted another!

**SillyLittleNothing:** Don't worry; it's my intention to give this story a happy ending. (And, if my muses have any say, extend it longer than should be possible)

**Dukoro-chan: **What, so eager for it to end? (Lol) At this stage, I'm estimating 5 more chapters, but it may be a little more than that.

**PerplexedKiss**: Like this?

**Klove:** I think the banquet was just an excuse, or the straw that broke the donkey's back.

**Pouasson**: Character depth and development is important to me, for some reason; I like to make them seem as real as possible.

**Eris:** Maybe I'll go to your house to visit – but my place is with NeKyo, sorry.

**Dark-Shigure**: Assuming you haven't already left; have a pleasant, safe trip to Japan! (Let me know if you come across the Sohma estate. :P) And don't worry about not sending me the picture straight away; I'm patient.

* * *

Kyo wasn't sure how or why, but when the God died, he felt it. There was a deep ache in his bones as the God's spirit weakened moment by moment, and then, for a single moment, it was as if his bones had turned to molten lava. It was over the moment it started, leaving his panting for breath, clutching the bench that was in front of him. 

Then came the feeling of loss; that he had lost something signifigant and could never regain it. And satisfaction; something had been achieved in that loss, something that he'd wanted since before his own birth…

It was only after the cat – much more sensitive to death just as he was to ghosts – had recovered from the pain that had come from the God's death, that the same sharp, hot pain coursed through each of the zodiac-cursed. Somewhere in each of them, came a deep sadness, as the animal spirits inside them mourned over their god's destruction. Just because a god was not kind, did not stop him from being a god, worshipped by his followers, after all.

Deep inside Kyo, a restless, vengeful spirit stirred, also feeling the passing of the god who had long ago wronged him, with the aid of the rat. A feeling of contentment grew, as if its one purpose in existing had been completed.

Kyo barely had time to register the strange happiness that had risen from the depths of his mind, before his the black and white beads of his bracelet shattered into tiny pieces.

* * *

Kureno had been at Akito's bedside, a heart moniter beeping steadily nearby. The pain was so sudden that it forced him to fall to his knees, resting his forehead on the bed in front of him as the pain washed over him.  
Somewhere in the background, the heart moniter continued to beep. 

Hatori had just gotten into his car, after waving goodbye to a patient, intending to go a check up on Akito. The keys in his hands were clutched tightly as he leaned forward, gasping for breath, waiting for the pain to subside before he tried to work out what had just occurred.

Shigure's hands froze on the keys of his keyboard for a moment, before they curled into fists as the dog attempted to curl into a tight ball in his seat.

Yuki, working at his 'Secret Base' with Tohru, dropped the trowel in his hand, falling forward into a fetal position, holding his breath.

Ayame had suddenly dropped the box he was carrying in his empty shop, collapsing to his knees in agony.

Momiji and Haru had been talking, when the pain simultaneously washed over them, and left them whimpering and confused on the floor.

Hiro and Kisa had been doing homework together, when everything under their skin suddenly seemed to turn white-hot with a blinding pain…

Kagura had been getting ready to go see her beloved Kyo, when the pain suddenly struck her, making her fall to her knees, and clutching her cat-bag tightly to her, as if the motion could help ease her agony.

Ritsu and Rin, in two very different locations, both froze in what they were doing; objects in their hands falling, as their fingers suddenly went slack, before their hands tightened into taunt fists that left bloodied crescent moons on their palms. The outside world was forgotten, leaving them in a world that focused on the intense pain that was rising from the inside out.

They would never know it, but save for Kyo, the sudden pain that shot through them all, the agony and the deep-set feeling of loss that replaced the pain as it faded, had occurred throughout each of them in sync.

* * *

The ghost cats saw it happen – they cried out to the skies in triumph as the feeling of the God's death coursed through even them. It was a cry of victory; they had won, they had beaten the God and the curse he had given the cats. He had died, and they, or the spirit of the cat at least, still lived. They'd been battling each other for centuries, a war with battles that lasted lifetimes, and only now was the war over. They had won. 

It was the greatest victory they could accomplish, and the God had known that too, before he faded from the realm. They'd felt his anger, and resignation at his demise; and then he was gone.

The First Cat, for the first time since their attack on the God, left the cage, settling himself down on the roof to look over the gardens, that now suddenly seemed to be his. He purred, stretching out to enjoy the sun, watching with half-closed eyes as a few of his kittens, satisfied with what had occurred, faded into whatever afterworld waiting them.

* * *

Kyo stared at the broken pieces, lying on the kitchen floor, that had been his beads. He hadn't moved for the past ten minutes, completely lost in his own world and completely unaware of the chaos in the rest of the house. 

Eris paused from where she was waving a hand in front of Kyo's face, as Tohru's screaming reached a higher pitch. She'd been yelling, crying and screaming in fear and worry ever since she'd dragged Yuki in. From what she could work out, both the rat and Shigure had suffered from some kind of 'attack' and Hatori wasn't answering the phone, hence increasing Tohru's panic.

"Eris?"

The ghost turned back to Kyo, squeezing his shoulder, glad that his shock was fading, even if his voice was distant. "You okay NeKyo? You looked like you were in a lot of pain for a minute there."

"How long…?"

Eris glanced at the clock on the wall, before shrugging, "I don't know – ten minutes, maybe? Hey, maybe you should sit down - "

"Ten minutes?" The cat sounded faint. He turned his head to look at her, red eyes wide and full of too many emotions for Eris to make sense of, "Eris, it's been ten minutes since my bracelet _shattered_…

"And I still hadn't transformed"


	46. Bells

**Chapter 46**

TT: Well, my exams are over… Is it a bad thing when you study chemistry AND read fanfics at the same time?

Now I just have to see how I did… No, actually, I don't want to know. I _really_ don't want to know.

**Dukoro-chan** – Perhaps, but cats have 9 lives, so its alright.

**Klove** – I know what you mean; I haven't many alerts, but its still hard to find good fics you like daily.

**Shizmoo** – Hence why I deliberately made the 'attack' happen just _before_ he turned the engine on.

**SillyLittleNothing** – I'm not sure yet; I'll have to ask him.

**Edakumi** – I seem to like making Tohru panic more than I should.

**Chaos Tears** – Just a cat being a cat. We all know what cats are like.

**Kashuneko** – Read and find out!

**Kat – **Nope, don't worry about that; Eris is not bound to Kyo, nor is her purpose solely to free the cat. We know what Eris is like; she's not going to leave until she's good and ready!

**Lindsey** – But of course! Mwahaha!

**Eiri Touma – **Aww! You're making me blush. I'm glad you like my story.

* * *

Chaos. Pure, absolute chaos. Almost as if a telepathic message had been sent between them, the zodiac-cursed Sohma's all made their way to Shigure's house, crying out to the first person they saw in panic. 

It was Hatori who finally took control; dragging everyone into the living room and listening as – one at a time – the Sohma's explained the identical phenonomen. Many of them began to feel sheepish, because suddenly what had happened didn't seem to warrant the extent of panic it had caused.

And so, confused, but much calmer, Momiji decided to do what he always did when he was upset and the option was available – he hugged Tohru.

It was as the smoke began to clear that Kyo walked through the door from the kitchen, hands cupped together. He paused in the doorway, staring and the crowd in front of him.

Eris stood behind him, looking over his shoulder, "Oh! Hi Kisa, how are you? Wait… NeKyo, when did they get here?"

"Good question." Kyo paused for a moment, and then glanced at the tiny pieces in his hands - pieces that had once been his beaded bracelet - and then back to the rabbit that was Momiji, "Hold on…" He turned to Eris.

Reading the look on the cat's face with an ease that would leave most people gaping, Eris nodded, turning away, "I'll go see if I can find him." And with that, she ran through the wall and out of sight.

Kyo moved to sit down beside Tohru, hitting Momiji over the head, for hugging Tohru even though it was 'taboo', and watched curiously as Hatori carefully examined his cousins.

Hatori, for his part, was getting increasingly frustrated; there was nothing wrong with any of his family members, nothing to account for the pain that had overwhelmed them. That led him to conclude that it had something to do with their curse, but judging by Momiji the curse was working fine.

There was the sudden clanging of a hand bell, causing everyone to look over. There was, indeed, a hand bell, waving in the air on its own.

Kyo, however, saw Eris, a ghost cat walking in front of her towards him. Eris was singing in time with her bell, "Ding Dong! The God is dead!"

Kyo raised an eyebrow, "Where the heck did you get that thing – no, wait, I don't want to know. And what are you singing about?" He jerked in surprise and the first cat leapt onto his lap, sending chills down Kyo's spine.

It was the first time Kyo realize just had _large_ the first cat was – he was much larger than a normal housecat, at least twice the size. Most likely, he had either altered his size himself – just as Eris did with her clothes ('You didn't expect me to wear a _skirt_ longer than I had to, did you?') – or he'd simply forgotten how he looked originally, and his form at altered over time on its own.

The cat met his gaze, and for a moment Kyo's red eyes simply stared at milky, transparent ones. Then, the conversation began.

Having already heard the explaination, Eris floated over to Kisa, putting the frost-covered bell on the table as she passed, "Hi Kisa, what's up? Hey, I've got some really interesting news! Guess what, come on, guess! No, aww, fine; I'll just tell you."

Kisa found it difficult to hear ghosts; in fact, she couldn't recall if she'd actually _heard_ Eris speak. However, time in the company of Kyo and Eris had left her with a talent for lip reading. This is why, as Eris spoke, Kisa's mouth moved silently on her own accord, mouthing the same words for everyone else;

'_The god is dead._'

* * *

Kyo, however, wasn't paying Eris or his family any attention, instead paying close attention to everything the old feline in front of him was telling him. 

The God was dead; some of the other cats had moved on because of this, satisfied that they had been avenged. But most, like himself, remained, because they were unsatisfied – there was still nothing preventing the cat from being locked up, despite the absense of the God. Only when the cat was freed would then think of leaving to see what awaited them.

Kyo held out the shattered pieces of his bracelet for the cat to see, who sniffed them once, not looking surprised.

Once, he told Kyo, the cat didn't have a third form, and yet he was still locked up; it was _this_ injustice that created the terrifying monster. The 'true' form of the cat was nothing but an embodiment of all the anger, rage, humiliation, bloodlust, and all the other negative emotions that the spirit of the cat had collected as he was sealed away, time and time again.

And, like those 'kittens' who had left, this embodiment was satisfied with the descruction of the God. So, when the God had died, that embodiment had disappeared, and no longer existed. The cat's private curse was no more, at least for the moment.

"But the real curse isn't broken."

To that, the cat had no answer. Oh, he had theories, about how each of the zodiac creatures, like ghosts, had something that needed to be done or appeased before they were willing to leave, but no real answers. And, or so it seemed, he didn't truly care. After the great betrayl, he'd lost any interest he might've had in the needs, wants, or desires of those who succeeded in entering the zodiac.

Kyo nodded, taking all this in. The cat on his lap licked a paw for a moment, before jumping lightly to the floor and stalking out through a wall. Kyo was quiet, looking down at the pieces of his bracelet, lost in thought.

At least until a hand bell was rung in his ear.

"Gah!" Kyo jumped, falling to the ground, glaring at the prankster in front of him, "ERIS!"


	47. Warning

**Chapter 47 **

**TT:** Woah… 700+ reviews… Amazing…

**Eris:** So thanks to the 15 and 2/3 or so people who review each chapter!

**Kyo:** Hey, isn't that _my_ calculator?

**TT:** ……

**Eris**: _:Pokes TT: _

**Kyo:** I think all you people put her in shock.

**Eris**: _:Produces a bucket of water: _Leave it to me! I know just what to do! _:Dumps water on TT's head: _

**TT:** ……

**Kyo:** Yeesss, that worked perfectly.

**Eris**: _:drops the metal bucket on TT's head as well: _

**TT:** Ouch! What was that for? Oh, right, reviews. Yep, you people heard right – EOTC now has over 700 reviews to its name!

**Eris:** I'm loved!

**Kyo:** You're not going to think about starting a Hollywood career, like when we got 100 favourites, are you?

**Eris:** Don't be silly – Hollywood doth not deserve my talents.

**TT:** Moving on… Oh, and lets all say 'hi' to my mum – who I've discovered goes to my story to read my introductions. (Now, if she'd only read the _story_…)

**Essence-of-Dreamz** – Hey, good to hear from you again! But who ever said Akito was _dead_? ;)

**Kat** – Thanks for telling me; I'll go back and change it.

**Chaos Tears** – Kisa told them, since she's such a little sweetie. J

**Fallen from the Sky** – Here you go, then.

**Dark Inu Fan** – It'll take them a while to notice; the beads don't exactly stick out, and as its Kyo it just doesn't occur to them that the braclet might be gone.

**Dukoro-chan** – Akito's alive… Though I'm not sure he's happy about that fact.

**Dark Flamingo – **Thanks!

**SillyLittleNothing** – I haven't read any further than that, myself. I've never found an explaination as to _why_ the cat has a third form, so I made up my own – tough luck if there was another reason.

**Klove** – as described in previous chapters, the first cat no longer has any colour to him. He was probably small once, but he believes he was large, so his form changed.

**Pouasson** – I think that the word you wanted was 'animals'. No, I'm not doing a sequel – but I'm considering doing a series of 'missing scenes' for the fun of it.

**Cheeky Doggie** – Plot? Actually, much of this is thought up as I go along; often inspired by my reviewers. Only the vaguest of planning comes into my stories, so they can change and evolve to become better stories.

**Mousewolf** – Duley noted, I'll corrected the error, thanks for pointing it out.

**Annoying Little Twit** – Go to bed; even Eris 'dozes' from 2-3 in the morning.

* * *

Kisa had just confirmed it. The spirit of the God was dead – though Kureno had been quick to 'reassure' his cousins that Akito had still been alive when he'd left. That left them with the conclusion that the God had passed on without its host, and it was very likely it would never return.

For some reason, the group didn't think it was fair; Akito's curse had still been broken, but theirs hadn't.

For a long time, there was silence between the twelve, and then, slowly, the conversation rose up again in soft, serious tones.

A short time after this, Kagura looked around, suddenly aware that Kyo had disappeared again.

* * *

Eris held the small, wooden box out as Kyo collected the bracelet fragments he'd missed before, putting them into the box with the rest of them. He felt naked without his bracelet, and strangely anxious.

He'd often wished, _longed_ to be free of his bracelet, but at the same time the object was like a security blanket. He could reach out and clutch it when he was anxious, to check that it was still there – that he was still Kyo. Its absence would take some time to get used.

"I think that's all of them."

Eris nodded, "Hey, lets bury it in the forest, and make a treasure map to mark the location! You know; X marks the spot sort of thing." She closed the box and handed it to her friend. There was an odd expression on Kyo's face as he took it, and ran his fingers over the smooth lid; an expression Eris found hard to read. "Uh, NeKyo?"

"I'm still the cat."

Eris blinked, and tilted her head, confused and waiting for him to continue.

"People always called the cat a monster, because of our so-called 'true' form, and they locked us all up because of that. But, Eris, the first cat; he told me that my third form was created by the spirit of the cat, long _after_ he was called a monster and locked away. It was just a side effect, because of that bitterness. It'll come back when I get locked up – and you _know_ Akito won't give up just because the God-spirit is gone.

"But, that means that we cats weren't locked up because of our 'true' form; we were just locked up because they wanted to cage us. And I think that's even worse."

"Akito won't lock you up. I can be quite persuasive – just ask Yuki." Kyo found himself smiling, though whether it was at the comment or the fierce voice Eris used, the cat himself wasn't sure.

Eris hesitated, before putting a hand on his shoulder. Cautiously, quietly, Eris spoke, "NeKyo, there's something else the first cat told me – he said, that when the cat left, he'd be able to make a path; a path that the other zodiac could follow on. He said that the only way to break the curse of the zodiac, was the brake the curse of the cat."

Kyo looked up at Eris; her hazel eyes were wide and honest, and the cat could see the how hesitant she was in giving him this information, unsure how he would take it. Kyo looked at the ground for a moment, thinking the implications of that fact over carefully.

There were so many things that could mean – it could mean that the God had always known this, hence why he insisted on locking the cat away - hadn't the cat mentioned something about caging the host being a way to ground the cat to this world? It could mean that, somehow, the cat was responsible for all of the zodiac being trapped inside human hosts, or it could mean that someone else – possibly the God – had done it, and bound the curse to the one least likely to ever be in a position to break it. Or, it could simply be a testament to the powerful link cats had to the supernatural.

Kyo didn't say anything, and Eris didn't try to engage him in conversation. Instead, she began humming an old melody; a familiar background noise that Kyo found he felt tense without.

Then there were dramatic farewells between Ayame and Shigure, signaling that the others were leaving. Snapping out of his thoughts, Kyo looked down at the box again, before walking up to his room, with Eris at his heels.

* * *

Akito was very confused when he opened his eyes. There was a heart moniter, beeping in a most irriating fashion near him. A quick glance around told him that he was in his home, and yet he appeared to be alone; not a single attentent. Frustration and offense boiled inside him.

But that wasn't all he felt. He felt cold, and… empty, inside. He was missing something, something important, something vital, and yet something that, he almost thought he could rejoice the absence of.

Akito glanced at the clock, on the wall near a window. Judging by the darkness outside, he assumed that it was 1:25 at night, which would perhaps explain why he was alone.

And then, he wasn't alone. A figure was standing by the window, a small amount of moonlight shining through her, illuminating her like some kind of avenging angel. For a moment, Akito felt afraid – that in itself frightened him; since when was _he_, the God of the Sohma family, afraid?

The figure floated towards his bed, hovering a meter of the ground, until he could make out the face; it was familiar, though he couldn't place from where.

"You like confused, Akky – don't you reconise me when I'm not glaring or in someone else's skin?" Eris.

Akito narrowed his eyes at the ghost. She looked different, more serene than the last time they'd met face to face. There was no ice, and her hair wasn't doing strange things. And yet, somehow, that didn't make her seem any less terrifying to Akito. "What do you want?"

"To give you one last warning – third times a charm and all. You will not even attempt to place Kyo in that cage."

Akito glared at her, "I am the God of the Sohma family, he is bond to my will, if I want to cage that monster, I will!"

"You're not, you know."

"Not what?"

"The God of the Sohma family." She smiled, just a little bit viciously, at the look disbelief in Akito's face, "The cats _killed_ the God – ripped him to shreds. There is no longer a God – just you. And you have no idea how lucky you are the cats let you off easy. But, the thing is, I don't really care about that – I'm glad the cats are happier, but its Kyo I'm worried about. Call him a monster one more time, and I'll do more than stop you from walking." She paused, suddenly, before grinning mischieviously, "Oops, you didn't know that yet, did you – I told you, the cats let you off easy. They could've chopped your legs _right_ off, or taken away your arms as well or something."

"What are you - "

Eris waved towards the door, "Kureno'll probably be here in, oh, four hours – not sure why, its not like you were good company while you were in a coma. Although, maybe compared to how you usually act, you were good company. Anyway, think about what I've said," Her voice grew cold again, "Because I'm not warning you again. Bye-bye!"

And with that, the ghosts disappeared from sight, leaving Akito, weak, confused and alone in the dark room as, outside his window, a tabby cat prowled through the gardens.


	48. Fights

**Chapter 48**

**TT: **Hey guys – as I'm going to visit my family next week, there probably won't be an update for a while. I'm (probably) not dead, so don't worry about me! Sorry to everyone; I promise to do my best to post when I get back!

**Lemmesee** – Glad you like it.

**Dark Flamingo** – Eee, I confused you? _:cries:_ Tell me where, and I'll see what I can do to explain it.

**Mousewolf** – I'll leave the rest of the intimidation to you, shall I?

**Chaos Tears** - Eris calling Akito 'Akky' is mostly intimidation; it proves that she's not scared of him, and as its not meant to be endearing, that she doesn't even respect him. But yep, Akito's paralyzed.

**Dark Inu Fan** – While that's a really interesting idea, it doesn't fit with what we've learnt about Eris' past.

**Klove** – I misspelt it _again_? Argh! I don't know why I keep spelling Kureno's name wrong – I'll go back and change it, thanks for telling me.

**Kashuneko** – Ah, most of us would probably love to do that.

Annoying Little Twit – 'Fraid he is, but that doesn't mean he got out unscathed. 

**Nekokazum** – As I've told other people who have asked about this; there is _not_ going to be any romance in this story. Everyone can dream up the pairings they want, but they won't appear in the actual story.

**Edakumi** – Personally, I don't think the curse should be broken, but for my plot I'm going to have it to do so.

**Dukoro-chan** – Yes, Kyo is very important to her, and she can be quite unrestrained when it comes to watching his back. But it goes too ways – I'd hate to think what Kyo would do if he ever found that exorcist.

* * *

No one could rightly say who started it, but within moments, the verbal argument had esculated. Kyo's furious comments and Yuki's snappish insults both gave way to fists and violent kicks.

Eris hovered above the scene, occasionally cheering Kyo on when he got a particually good attack in. Tohru stood to the side, twisting her hands together as she stared at them, eyes wide and frantic as she tried to work out what she should do.

Their fight progressed, or perhaps it was degressed, until it seemed less like a battle and more like a simple brawl – Eris was sure that Yuki was the cause of that, when he'd tackled Kyo in the middle in a last-ditch attempt to counteract Kyo's unstopping, continuous attacks. There was still something… graceful about the way they were fighting – they had, after all, been learning martial arts since they were young. It was just uncomposed, unstructured, and mixed with the natural fighting style of, well, teenage boys.

"Uppercut! Uppercut – Yeah, that's the way you do it! Kyo! Kyo! Gooo NeKyo!" Eris threw her arms up in victory, "NeKyo; look out for that kick!"

Then, all at once, one of the boys went flying through a paper wall - this act, strangely enough had Shigure out of his study in an instant, while he hadn't even glanced towards the door while the fight was in progress – and into a tree, when he slumped to the ground, only half-concious.

Torhu opened her mouth to cry out and ask Kyo if he was okay, but then paused. She glanced from the boy, still standing inside, to the one outside. Because the one slumped against as tree had grey hair.

Kyo had just _beaten_ Yuki.

Somewhere overhead, Eris was cheering, letting out a 'whoop' and dancing around, arms waved wildly in the air. Shigure continued to mourn over his broken wall, not even noticing the sudden silence around him.

Torhu however, looked to be on the verge of a panic attack, unsure of what to do. Her eyes were wide, and she seemed frozen to the spot as she looked between Kyo and the now unconious Yuki. She wrung her hands together, distraught, "Ah! What should I do!"

There was a pause, then an icy touch on her shoulder. Tohru turned her head, to find the phone hovering in midair beside her, the reciver held out towards her offeringly. The girl took it with only a moment's hesitence, before calling Hatori – babbling on the phone to him about fights and Yuki being unconscious until the dragon agreed to come over.

* * *

Half an hour later, Hatori was dabbing the cut on Yuki's temple. The rat was sitting quietly as the dragon did so, arms crossed and sulking. He couldn't believe he'd gone and lost to that _cat_! It didn't make sense to him; his abilities had always been several levels above Kyo's own; how could Kyo have improved so much in such a short time? After all, the last time they'd fought had only been –

Here Yuki paused, as it occurred to him that it had been a very long time since they'd last had a physical fight. The presence of that ghost – Eris – had mellowed the cat in a way not even Tohru had managed. She'd taught Kyo - and this was something that Yuki greatly disliked 'her' for – humilation could be caused in more ways than merely fighting.

He was cut out of his musing with a wince, as Hatori pressed down a little too hard with the cotton ball he was cleaning the wound with.

Hatori covered the wound, and instructed Yuki that he had a mild concussion, before putting the rest of the bandages back in the bag he'd brought with him. "Where's Kyo; I suppose I should have a look at him too. If Yuki got a concussion, then he's probably feeling sorry for himself."

Tohru blinked, putting the tea she'd just brought in down, "Um, actually, Kyo disappeared before you got here. But he seemed fine. After all, Yuki was the one who lost."

Hatori stilled briefly, eyes widening slightly as he took in this surprising piece of information. "Did he?" He glanced at Yuki; that explained why the boy had been sulking, at the very least. "That's unusual."

The rat of the zodiac glowered at him as Hatori packed up the last of his equipment and got to his feet. The dragon took no notice, instead telling Tohru a handful of signs to look out for, because of Yuki's concussion, said goodbye, and left the room.

There was a cry of "Toriiii!" in Shigure's voice, and a noise that sounded suspiciously as if Hatori had just been tackled by the energetic dog.

* * *

"I do know what happened Eris; I was there."

"Yeah, but you didn't get to _see_ how it looked; it really cool to see from the sidelines!" She waved her arms for emphasis, and then smiled apologetically when her hand went through the back of his head. "Heh, sorry NeKyo."

Kyo rubbed the bridge of his nose, eyes clenched as he tried to relieve the brainfreeze that was suddenly plaguing him. After a moment, he relaxed again, "I think I'm getting used to that."

"Does that mean I'll have to think of a new alternative to punching you? Oh! I could sing 'the wheels on the bus' song for hours on end – and I don't even need to stop to breath!"

"The brain freezes get the job done, Eris."

A few moments of near silence went between the pair. "Hey NeKyo?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?"

For a moment, Eris didn't think Kyo was going to reply. He didn't look at her, his posture didn't change, he didn't even falter his stride for a moment. Eris waited, before opening her mouth to ask again, only to be cut of by Kyo.

"To speak to Akito."

"Huh? But why, NeKyo?"

"…Because I just won a bet."


	49. Victory

**Chapter 49 **

**TT: **I don't like this chapter much… But then again I often feel that way; it didn't come out the way I wanted, and because I wanted to post this before I left my computer/stories behind, I can't go back and edit it.

So sorry if it doesn't seem right; give me advice for the next chapter!

Now, go give me lots of reviews, so that I have a heart-attack when I come back in a week.

** Edakumi** – I like Tohru all frantic – aren't I horrible?

**Ja ne, Kat** – well, I don't think this is quite what the girls were meaning, but I brought forth Momiji!

** Ouran** – Hee, thanks! I worked hard on Eris' personality, so its always nice to know she's liked.

**Shizmoo** – Yeah, very surprised; everyone keeps flooding my email! (But I don't mind)

**Kashuneko** – I theory, I'm trying to wind down to a conclusion… In theory. Meh, one last plot twist can't hurt! Now, let me see…

**Mikko** – Purr? Hmm, not sure if I've got a place in the story for that; sorry, no promises, but I'll try to put it into the 'cut-out scenes' I'm planning. As for Eris and Kyo – there is going to be no romance in this story whatsoever. As I said right in the early chapters, this story focuses on pure, platonic friendship at its finest. So don't worry, no mushy stuff. ;p

**Dukoro-chan** – Twitching might seem vulgar to you, but it means I succeeded as a writer. So yay!

* * *

Kyo was forced to sneak into the main building; all he needed was for a single person to spot him, and he had little doubt Akito would put him in the cage early, without even looking at him.

But, in such a situation, it paid to have a friend like Eris; so long as you didn't freak out completely at the sight of a girl's head sticking through a wall, or could endure the 'mission impossible' theme being hummed the entire time.

"Bugs at 10 o'clock!"

Kyo glanced at Eris, "Bugs? Since when do you worry about insects?"

Somebody lunged at him, hanging off the cat's back as he hugged him from behind. "Kyo! What are you doing here? You know you're not allowed in the main house!"

Kyo looked back up at Eris, not even bothering to try and remove Momiji from him, "Bugs, as in that stupid cartoon rabbit, right?"

Momiji wasn't quite sure what Kyo was talking about, but he spent a fair amount of time with his cousin, between school and at Shigure's, and had mastered the art of interrupting and including himself in private Kyo-Eris conversations. "Bugs Bunny is not stupid!"

Kyo groaned, and struggled to try and pull Momiji away. The rabbit had managed to get a good grip on his cousin, making it nearly impossible for Kyo to pull him off, "I don't need to be told that in stereo. Now get off and be quiet before somebody hears you."

"Aha! So you're _not_ supposed to be here." A punch over the head had Momiji standing out of Kyo's arm distance, holding his head as tears welled up in his eyes. "What was that for?"

"I told you to be quiet! Just go and… do whatever it is you usually do when you're not annoying me – and _don't_ tell anyone we're here."

Momiji stilled, staring at Kyo as the orange-haired teen to continue his break in, "But Kyo; why are you here, anyway?"

Kyo glanced back at his small cousin, "Trust me; you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He turned and walked away, hesitating every now and then, when he thought he heard someone else nearby.

Eris waved cheerfully to Momiji, before pressing a finger to her lips in a universal 'shh' motion, before she followed her friend. But, as Momiji couldn't see her, he simply stared after Kyo, silent and confused with the cat's actions.

* * *

Kyo wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to find Akito; but he wasn't about to complain about getting lucky. The former-God was sitting in a wheelchair, staring out a window into the garden, watching the birds in a nearby tree.

Akito's head snapped to the side as Kyo stepped into his view. He glared, and opened his mouth to demand what the cat wanted, but Kyo beat him to it.

"I won our bet."

Akito paused, before raising an eyebrow at the cat, looking down on the teen as much as he could while in a wheelchair, "What bet?"

The absence of the God inside Akito left him much less intimidating, or so it seemed to Kyo. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact Eris was standing beside him, absolutely nothing. "I beat Yuki. You won't put me in the cage. That was our agreement."

Akito frowned, furious to think that this incident had occurred, and he hadn't yet been informed. If Kyo had had the time to come to him, then there was more than enough time for Shigure, or even Hatori, to tell him about this. Inwardly, he began to rage at the loss of respect this seemed to show. Outwardly, however, he remained calm, studying Kyo carefully. He was weak; he'd only recently woken from his coma. And he had lost the ability to walk – even the monster standing in front of him would prove to be a real threat now. Partically with his unseen backup, which was undoubtly nearby.

Akito though carefully; he already knew that there was no way he'd survive an attempt to cage the monster, and he wasn't willing to lose his life over such a creature. This bet, this new development, Akito realized, gave him a way out of his predicament. No one had to know that he'd been threatened into surrendering; all they had to know was that he, a generous head of the household indeed, had offered Kyo a bet, and the cat had won it. Truthfully, Akito had never had any intention with going through his side of the bargain, on the off chance that Kyo succeeded, but things changed.

Kyo stood in front of Akito, looking almost defiant in front of the former-God. He was sweating – Akito looked so helpless right then, now that the dangerous, eerie aura of the God had left him – and at the same time, Kyo knew that his life still lay in the hands of, as Eris called him, the Creature. A lifetime of fearing didn't disappear so quickly.

Akito suddenly snapped out his thoughts, and looked Kyo in the eye, a common, superior expression on his face. "I should congratulate you, _cat_. It seems the monster walks free, this time."

Kyo's hand was suddenly lifted into the air; at an angle that indicated it wasn't Kyo's own doing. The cat glared at the invisible force, and tried to pull away, before giving up and rolling his eyes, "Eris says that you should watch who you're calling a monster."

Akito's eyes resting of the cat's unadorned wrist. A wrist that had, for so very long, had a set of beads wrapped around it. "How?"

Kyo smirked, just a little ferally, revealing what looked suspiciously like a fang, "When the God left, so did the cat's third form."

Furious of the abrupt reminder of his loss, Akito glared at Kyo, voice rising in pitch, "You've heard what you wanted to hear – leave now, _cat_!" The last word was spat out, lowering his voice back to its usual pitch.

Kyo didn't hesitate, he turned away, leaving the room, and then paused. The first cat sat in front of Kyo, staring at him. For a moment, the two cats stared at each other, and then the ghost cat turned, walking down the hall, and disappearing as he did so – for good.

* * *

The spirit of the cat had been stirring since the death of the God, and the defeat over the rat had made it restless. Suddenly, the cat inside Kyo felt restraints that had been binding it to humans for so long simply shatter.

A cat wasn't meant to be caged – the spirit didn't hesitate. It pulled itself free from the human, whose hair matched its own fur colour, and – using a path that only it could see – disappeared from the world altogether.

Elsewhere, the other zodiac creatures suddenly found a path - one they'd wanted to travel on, but been unable to find for so long – become visible, because of a trail of the cat's unique power that had been left behind. They didn't hesitate, and didn't look back.

In mere moments, all of the twelve creatures of the Chinese zodiac were gone.


	50. Cost

**Chapter 50 **

** TT:** Hey guys; I'm back from visiting all my relatives! A couple of people thought that I'd finished this story, but don't worry – there's still two more chapters, and one plot twist left, right here!

That said… Pleasedon'tkillme!

** Essence-of-Dreamz** – You picked up on that, did you? Well, just keep reading to find out!

**Dark-Inu-Fan** – Haven't I told you people to stop revealing future plot-points to the rest of the readers?

**ShadoWalker** – Yes, there probably will be an epilogue… Once I finish! Mwahaha! I can still write one more chapter!

**PenKittyChan** – Easy there, save the temper-tantrums for chapter 51

**Irene** – Believe it or not, I do proofread; I'm just very good at reading what I _want_ to see, instead of what I do. What the Holy Grail of Pranksters really is shall never be revealed; it's the secret of pranksters everyone, and I'm not privy to it.

**Klove** – Akito's no longer the god, and its having an effect on his personality. Well, that's my excuse.

**GirlLoki** – Sorry, no. The curse is broken, so now they're just normal people.

**Dukoro-chan** – Yes, I'm afraid it is. I'm aiming for it to finish next chapter; exactly a year since it started, or that's my plan.

**Chaos Tears** – _I_ wanted the curse to stay unbroken, but an author must accept that s/he isn't as in control of the story as we claim to be, and the story will progress how they want, regardless of the author's feelings.

* * *

The disappearance of the cat from inside Kyo didn't give the same sort of pain as the death of the God; instead, it hurt more on a spiritual level. A feeling of completeness Kyo didn't know he'd had disappeared, leaving him feeling empty and strangely depressed, as if he wanted to cry. He didn't know how he knew

He wandered home slowly, mulling over the most recent events in his head, occasionally saying something to Eris, who was giving him the silence he needed right now, hovering somewhere behind his shoulder like she always did.

Kyo entered the house he'd come to think of as 'home' in silence, the sound of the door closing making the other residents, who were all in the living room, glance over. Kyo walked in, and smirked at the sight of the Band-Aids on Yuki's face. The rat glared back, humiliated that he'd been beaten in front of Tohru.

Tohru, oblivious to the tension between the boys, beamed at Kyo, getting to her feet, "Oh, Kyo! Where were you?"

"Just… out."

"Oh… Its getting dark out, weren't you cold? I'll make you some tea, that will warm you up – don't worry, I'll put milk in it, just how you like it!" And, before anyone could say another word, she was hurrying over towards the kitchen.

Except, she tripped over a magazine on the way – Shigure looked at the ceiling, attempting to appear angelic – and slipped across the floor, flying into Kyo's arms and sending the both of them sprawling. There was a pause, as the other two waited for the puff of smoke that would indicate Kyo's change in form.

…And continued to wait as nothing happened. Tohru lay, stunned in Kyo's arms for another moment, before realizing what had happened, and getting to her feet, apologizing profoundly to the cat, who rubbed his lower back where's he'd fallen with a small groan.

Then, unable to believe what had just happened, Yuki walked over and pulled Tohru into his arms in a hug. Shigure made a comment, Kyo threw a shoe at Shigure and yelled at the rat, but other than that, nothing happened. He hadn't transformed.

For another moment, no one moved, as if afraid they would wake up at any moment. Then, eyeing Kyo suspiciously, Yuki muttered, "The curse; it's broken?" Kyo met Yuki's gaze for a moment, and then, feeling a sudden moment of comradeship with the former-rat, nodded his head to confirm it.

Everything was still for a moment more, and then Shigure ran from the room, shouting something about needing to call Ayame and Hatori. Tohru slowly pulled herself from Yuki's arms – the boy's grip slack in shock, and unresisting to the attempt – and went to the kitchen, to make tea for the visitors that would, undoubtedly, be appearing soon.

Kyo found himself grateful that no one had thought to ask him for an explanation; he felt too tired to give one. He had to glance out the window, to make sure it wasn't raining, before walking up to the roof, where he could reflect on the events in peace, with little chance of being disturbed by anyone – well, except Eris, but she didn't count.

* * *

He sat there for perhaps an hour, Eris sitting beside him just out of his sight, simply enjoying the breeze that blew across his face and ruffled his hair, letting the sounds of the many people below wash over him. Eris was humming, one of the songs he knew so well that he could almost hear them when she finally was silent.

"I can't believe that it was so simple…" Eris didn't answer, undoubtedly waiting for him to continue; so he did, "The entire curse is just gone, just like that. All that was needed, was ever needed, was for Akito to just say I, the cat, wouldn't be confined. That's all that was ever, ever needed. It was so simple, and yet the curse remained unbroken for so long." He let his head hang a little, staring at the ground far below him as he asked a question that had rested in his mind for quite a while, "How is it that the cat could be so hated; that the God would rather he and the rest of the zodiac rest inside humans, just so that the cat could be caged. Am I – was I, really that despicable?"

The was a coldness on his shoulder, that seeped into every corner of his body in a way that was as familiar and comforting as it was near painful. Kyo found himself smiling slightly, despite his previous mood, and he glanced to the side to look at Eris.

Or, where Eris _should_ have been. Where his friend should have been, there was nothing but empty air, the icy feeling on his shoulder never disappearing.

Kyo jumped to his feet, suddenly afraid, "Eris! Eris, where are you - " He stopped in his panic as two unseen, cold hands held his face, making him look straight ahead into vacant space. In his mind's eye, Kyo could picture Eris, standing right in front of him, looking confused and perhaps worried, meeting his red eyes with her hazel ones. He could practically hear her voice, asking him what was wrong, what was going on, what was happening. Almost, but not quite.

Words, spoken in that voice, such a very, very long time ago, suddenly floated through his mind. _Everyone knows that cats can see ghosts._

Kyo's eyes widened he realized what happened. "No… No! Not now; not after everything that's happened!" Tears of desperation and aspiration appeared and slid down his eyes unbidden, freezing to his skin when Eris, unseen, touched them, most likely trying to wipe them away.

_Everyone knows that cats can see ghosts._

"Eris…" His voice broke, emotions he hadn't felt since that nightmarish day a few months ago flooding back into him ten-fold. "Eris, I – I can't– I'm not the cat anymore! I, I can't _see_ you, can't hear you, can't…" He trailed off. It was all he could do to not brake into broken sobs. After all that had happened, all that they had seen and suffered through together… It was this that broke them…

It was in Kyo's greatest victory that, for the first time since he met her, Eris seemed dead.


	51. Worth

**Chapter 51**

**TT:** Fanart! Fanart! I got fanart! Esscence-of-Dreamz drew a really beautiful picture of Eris, people! You should all go to see it – she put it up on DeviantArt; her name there is Esscenseofdreamz – I

**Eris:** Kyo! Kyo, lookit! It's me! I look so pretty, and happy and, and – it's me! I'm loved! I'm famous! It's meeee!

**Kyo:** _:Somewhere in the kitchen:_ That's great, 'Ris; have you seen the milk?

**TT:** On a different note: I was very surprised how many people actually _cried_ because Kyo couldn't see Eris. I was more expecting threats of bodily harm, directed at myself. I would say sorry about making you upset – but being able to pull at your heartstrings like that means that I've succeeded as a writer.

**Misunderstood Orchid:** I _did_ consider having an ending like that, but for my health I decided against it.

**Mikko**: 'Fraid so, Kyo's lost everything that made him catlike (Except the hair)

**Cheeky Doggie:** A week long enough for you?

**WolvenMoon:** Thank you; I am actually very proud of this story. I'm glad you like Eris.

**Lisha Lane**: Well said. Kyo doesn't even care about trying to act normal, or be normal, if he can't have Eris by his side.

**SillyLittleNothing:** No, actually, I haven't seen the anime. I've only read the manga. I don't plan another Fruits Basket story at this stage; but I am considering writing a series of one-shots and drabbles based of this story. (I just can't let it go!)

**Ja Ne, Kat:** Eris won't possess Kyo again, unless in extreme circumstances when she wants to protect him. She simply doesn't think it's right.

**DerangedandLovingit** – But the faster I update, the faster it ends. :P

* * *

For days, Kyo wandered in a daze; going to class, taking notes and training. But that was really it. The rest of the time he wandered in silence, looking lost. He wasn't sleeping well, and dark shadows were beginning to show under his eyes. His family, when they weren't distracted by the sheer sensation of being free from the curse, was worried about him, but there was nothing they could do to make him snap out of it.

The one who came the closet to succeeding was Kyo's Shisho, who had confronted him the first day Kyo had showed up for training in his broken state.

* * *

"Kyo," The teenager looked up at the man he had long regarded as his father figure, "Please, tell me what's wrong. I know you hurting, and I'm worried."

Kyo had been reluctant to speak, even to him, but it wasn't long before the comforting presence and words caused the cat to break down. Before Shisho could comprehend what had happened, Kyo had thrown himself against the man's chest, hugging him tightly. The boy's eyes were closed tightly, as if he were trying not to cry.

The man's worry increased, his brow furrowing, "Kyo? Talk to me."

"Eris; she – she… I can't see her anymore!" It were as if those words broke a dam deep inside the former-cat, and the entire story poured out of his lips, his shoulder's trembling with unshed tears.

His Shisho found himself not knowing what to say, unsure on how to sooth the boy he thought of as a son. A chill ran through him, and he was sure that Eris herself was also trying to comfort her distressed friend. "Oh Kyo…"

Kyo didn't respond, instead simply allowing himself to cry.

* * *

Eris hadn't left, not by a long shot. She was still there, still refused to simply abandon him. It could be seen in the way that the milk was always cold, they way Kyo liked it, even if it had been left on the counter all morning. The way Kyo's schoolbag seemed to back itself while he was in the shower, the pens that rolled off the teacher's table in class, the way the thermometer dropped to minus 5 degrees as Kyo watched it, before rising again as Eris brushed past. She wrote messages to him, but it took effort to hold a pen, and so her messages were short; they couldn't have the long and often meaningless conversations Kyo had grown so fond of having with her.

And the silence! Kyo had often found himself at his wits end with some of her more annoying songs, whether she was humming or singing. But he was _used_ to her noise, it was a background noise he was comfortable with. Now that sound was absent, and it set Kyo on edge. It felt as if something wasn't right with the world. Sounds that Kyo usually didn't hear – the hum of the fridge, the buzz of the lamps light – grew loud and ominous without Eris' voice covering them.

When Kyo had been younger, he would've given anything – and he did mean _anything_ to be free from the curse. To be normal, to be accepted… He'd believed that he could have been happy then, no matter the cost.

But that had been a long time ago, and now Kyo regretted ever thinking of such things. He didn't _want_ to be accepted by the people who had, only days ago, scorned him! They didn't matter, none of that mattered, the curse hadn't mattered. He had been happy, truly happy, just having Eris as a friend.

Those wishes he'd made on stars, many years ago, had been granted. But he couldn't accept the sacrifice.

* * *

The bell rang, signaling that school had ended. Students eagerly began to collect their books and leave the classroom, talking to their friends as they did so.

Hana moved to walk towards Tohru, but was stopped when Kyo stood in her way. He looked hesitant for a moment, "I… need your help with something." He barely waited for her agreement, before asking her to follow him and leading her to the empty roof.

"What did you need?"

"It's about Eris, you know, the ghost?"

"Do you want me to exorcise her, after all?"

"No! …No, that's not it… Tell me, have you ever heard the legend about the cat of the zodiac?"

Kyo explained everything, Hana occasionally nodding her head, as if two pieces of a puzzle had been put together for her, but otherwise didn't interrupt until Kyo had finished. "I need to speak with my brother; I'll talk to you when we've worked something out."

Kyo had nodded, feeling drained, and let his head fall a bit as the both of them left in silence, going their separate ways. Kyo felt an icy hand touch the back of his neck, and closed his eyes, pretending that he could still see Eris, that the only reason he couldn't see her right now was because he wasn't in his vision.

But he couldn't hold the image, and the attempt made his heart ache all the more deeply.

* * *

It was over a week before Hana spoke to him again, and gave him directions so that he could find her house later that evening. The girl wasn't really surprised when he simply followed her home after school instead. A younger boy, who looked far too much like Hana to be anything but her brother, was introduced as Megumi.

The pair led Kyo into what he assumed was the lving room; various books were stacked into a pile on the floor, some labeled legends, others were about curses. A simple circle had been drawn on the floor, which Kyo was instructed to stand in.

He couldn't really rememeber what had happened after that. Hana and her brother had been working on summoning the spirit of the cat, commanding him to reside within Kyo's body, but he couldn't remember any of it. He simply remembered heat, searing his body as the cat's presence came near him, and then the strangest feeling of being whole when the cat's spirit moved to reside within him again.

Instincts and abilities he hadn't realized he'd lost flowed back into him, cooling the fire that raged over his skin. Slowly, from the toes up, it felt as if his body were redefining itself, forging itself to be a cat covered in a human skin. His eyesight blurred for a moment, his ears rang -

And then, nothing. Kyo swayed in his body, dizzy and disoridentated. Hana and her brother looked on, both silent and curious to see what the newly reinstated cat would do now that they had, hopefully, sealed the spirit of the cat inside him once more.

Kyo looked down at his hands, and twitched his fingers slightly, almost expecting his fingernails to extend into claws, before curling them into loose fists.

"Kyo…" A pair of pale, smaller hands covered his fists, making Kyo's head snap up again. Blood-red eyes met teary, hazel ones, and Kyo felt warmth and relief flow through his body as he stared wordlessly at the face of his best friend.

Eris' mouth moved wordlessly for a moment, "You didn't have to do that, Kyo… Now you're cursed again, and it's all my fault." A tear trickled down her cheek, whether it was one of remorse or joy that Kyo could see her again, the cat didn't know.

Kyo reached out, and put a hand on the ghost's shoulder, being careful to make sure he didn't let it fall threw her. Eris looked up again, meeting his gaze, and the cat smiled. It was a beautiful kind of smile that never failed to warm the recipient deep inside, the kind of smile that Kyo gave to very few people, and always left these people willing to do anything just to see that smile again.

The pair didn't say anything, but Eris seemed to know exactly what Kyo was saying with his expression, because her shoulders slumped a little as she relaxed, losing some of the tension. Her eyes softed even more, and she looked ready to cry again. "NeKyo…"

It was only then that Kyo spoke, voice quiet, his words for Eris, and Eris alone. "It was worth it."


	52. Epilouge

**Epilogue**

And so it ended up that Kyo was able to live a long and relatively happy life, so long as he remembered to leave Eris the last red M&M in any packet of those particular chocolates.

What happened in the rest of Kyo's life will be left to people's imaginations – though I will tell you that he worked as a paranormal investigator as his part time job while went to the same college and Tohru and Yuki – because, to be quite blunt, we've intruded into his personal life enough.

His death, on the other hand…

Kyo had lived a very long life – in fact, he was rather smug over the fact that, in the end, he beat Yuki by living longer.

He was 103 when he finally died a peaceful death, during a sudden moment of clarity in which he had been reminiscing with Eris. He suddenly froze up, muttered something about feeling tired, and closed his eyes – they never opened again.

Eris popped the last M&M in her mouth – she didn't know why they were there, seeing as Kyo hadn't been able to chew through the hard, sugary shells for the last few years, even with dentures. She suspected he had had them brought in for her, but she didn't know for sure.

Eris didn't blink, and her eyes never moved from staring at a spot in the center of Kyo's chest. A spot that now, to her, had an orb of whitish light that represented Kyo's soul.

And, as she watched, it twisted itself inside out in a way that Eris had only ever seen once before. She tilted her head for a moment, and then smiled a little, "One down, eight to go?"

The last time she'd seen a soul do a twist like that, it had been reborn. She'd been curious, and followed the boy the soul had been reborn in until he died in an accident, simply watching. The boy's spirit had reverted back into the person who the soul had originally been, before moving on. She didn't know why it worked like that.

Reincarnation was a very rare event that happened in only a fraction of circumstances. At least, as far as she knew.

Everyone knew that cats had nine lives.

She watched as the orb that was Kyo's soul left its body, and was implicitly drawn towards its new one. She followed without hesitation – she'd be the friend that the cat of the Sohma desperately seemed to need, she'd be the cat's friend, big sister, and protector, whatever they needed at the time. There was no way she was going to let the child be sealed away like the family would want. She'd teach them all a very important lesson – the cat had a guardian, a guardian who didn't answer to the Head, a guardian who wasn't afraid to somehow kill the head to protect the cat. Because the cat was important.

Because, one day, those nine lives would all be gone, and Kyo, along with the knowledge gained in his other lives, would be there, she could feel that with all the extrasensory abilities she'd gained as a ghost. He'd remember all the lives that came after, vaguly, like a dream, but somehow she knew, he'd be _Kyo_.

Kyo gave her a purpose in this world, but more importantly, he gave her his friendship, and she'd given him hers. She'd been around for a very long time before he'd come along – she could hang around for 8 more generations.

Because, one day, that soul would revert back to Kyo. And they'd move on, wherever that led them. Where they went wouldn't really matter at all because they'd be together. And to Eris, that was all that ever, really mattered.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**TT:** Hey guys! Yeah, author's notes at the bottom today. That, my dear readers, was the final piece to Eyes of the Cat. On the 30th of July 2005 I started this fic, and now, 30th of July 2006, I finish it. Happy birthday, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it!

This is the longest, most detailed story I've ever written, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

That said, I'd like to thank everyone of you, particually my reviewers. Without you, I would've lost inspiration for the story a long time ago; not only did you give me inspiration, but you also were the reason I continued when I was hesitant with my plot ideas – I _wanted_ to see what people thought, even if they'd end up hating them.

However, even though this is the end of EOTC, I don't want to stop writing about Kyo and Eris! Therefore, I intend to write a series of drabbles and one-shots called 'EOTC: The Cut Scenes'. These will be, as the name implies, ideas that came from the story that were never used. They will relate to different parts of the story, instead of each other, and some may be very short. However, anyone who has a picture involving Eris and Kyo in their head, that they want me to use, simply post a note, either here or in the Cut Scenes when I start it, and I'll do my best! (Please note that, unlike EOTC, these drabbles will not be updated regularly.)

Thank you for being with me throughout this year. I, for one, enjoyed every moment, and hope that you all did too.

Sincerely,

TigerTerror (& Eris!)


End file.
